explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:1711: Snapchat

2016-07-25T13:22:07Z

108.162.221.96:

"No, it's because I'm ignorant." Is Snapchat the one where photos last ten seconds only, then they're gone? And the Pulitzer prize is some American thing, right? (As opposed to Pulletzer prize, some chicken thing.) [[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.32|198.41.238.32]] 11:43, 25 July 2016 (UTC)

Pulitzer prize is a worldwide prize for Journalism (amongst which Photography is a category) and arts (drama, etc). {{unsigned ip|141.101.104.92}}

Its for published items from the U.S., not worldwide.~d

1265: Juicer

2016-07-19T19:13:10Z

108.162.221.96: /* Trivia */

{{comic
| number = 1265
| date = September 16, 2013
| title = Juicer
| image = juicer.png
| titletext = But the rind is where all the vitamins are!
}}

==Explanation==
Juicers are typically used to crush fruits and/or vegetables, thereby extracting the liquid juice and creating a tasty, refreshing and easy to consume drink. However, in this case, instead of actual fruits or vegetables, someone is making juice from {{w|Fruit Gushers}}, a chewy fruit-flavored candy, thereby extracting a nearly nutritionless artificial "juice" out of a candy casing which was formulated specifically for human consumption.

This may or may not be a parody of recent "Fruit Gushers" television commercials, in which Fruit Gushers are shown to squirt out nearly limitless amounts of "juice".

The title text asserts that the rind is where all the {{w|Vitamin|vitamins}} in the fruit reside. This is a common belief of actual fruits, although it is an untrue {{w|urban legend}} for many fruits; even fruits like apples do not contain most of the {{w|fiber}} and many {{w|Antioxidant|antioxidants}} in the skin itself, but rather directly below; although when you peel an apple you remove more than just the skin, losing also some high fiber and antioxidant content anyway. It is absolutely absurd as in this case, though, as the "rind" of a Fruit Gusher consists mainly of sugar. This text mocks the usual sentiment that the less desirable part of a food is the part that is "better" for you.

It is also a parody of the notion that buying a juicer, or other things like exercise equipment, will automatically make people healthier. Here it is shown that what you do with the juicer is the relevant factor.

The comic can also be interpreted as parodying the idea of fruit juices being healthy. Though this is widely believed, [http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/31/making-the-case-for-eating-fruit/ recent studies] [http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/04/some-fruits-are-better-than-others/ demonstrate otherwise.]

==Transcript==
:[We see a shelf. On it, from left to right, are: a bag of fruit gushers; a juicer; a bottle of bright red liquid; a bottle of bright blue liquid; and another bottle of bright red liquid.]
:"Oh yeah, juicers are great! I use mine all the time."

653: So Bad It's Worse

2016-05-29T12:23:31Z

108.162.221.96: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 653
| date = October 23, 2009
| title = So Bad It's Worse
| image = so_bad_its_worse.png
| titletext = You think it's so legendarily bad that you'll torrent it and sit through it just for the kitschy nerd cred. I, too, once thought as you did.
}}

==Explanation==
The graph in the comic shows the enjoyability of movies - going from good to okay to bad, then popping back up with "[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SoBadItsGood So Bad It's Good]". The term is used to describe movies that are so terrible that, for a variety of reasons, watching them can be considered an enjoyable experience. The comic lists ''{{w|Plan 9 from Outer Space}}'' and ''{{w|The Rocky Horror Picture Show}}'', two widely known films of this type.

However, the graph warns of showing ''{{w|The Star Wars Holiday Special}}'', as it manages to wrap back around from "So Bad It's Good" to being [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/DarthWiki/SoBadItsHorrible So Bad it's Horrible]. ''The Star Wars Holiday Special'' is a prime-time comedy special based on ''{{w|Star Wars}}''. It is widely known for its terrible quality, and has never been fully released (although an animated segment that introduced {{w|Boba Fett}}, which {{w|George Lucas}} has approved of, has been released as a bonus feature on a DVD).

The bottom of the comic shows [[Cueball]], [[Megan]], and [[Ponytail]] watching a movie with alcohol - first enjoying it, then merely watching, then not watching it and unhappily drinking.

The title text refers to {{w|BitTorrent (protocol)|torrents}}, which are a way to obtain large amounts of data over the internet. Since the ''Holiday Special'' was only aired once on television and was never released on VHS or DVD, torrents of the TV recordings are one of the few ways to actually see it. According to [[Randall|Munroe]], he had torrented a copy of the film and intended to watch it in its entirety, in spite of its terribleness, just to cement himself as a nerd. However, he underestimated how bad it really was, and could not make it all the way through.

The title text may also contain an subtle play on a line of Star Wars dialogue. In {{w|Return of the Jedi}}, {{w|Darth Vader}} says to {{w|Luke Skywalker}}, "''Obi-Wan once thought as you do''. You don't know the power of the dark side! I must obey my master." The implication here being that "kitschy nerd cred" is the "dark side" being served by those who would sit through a torrent of the Star Wars Holiday Special.

==Transcript==
:Protip: Even at "Bad Movie Night," avoid the Star Wars holiday special.

:[A graph plots movie enjoyability against movie quality. It drops steadily through points marked "Good Movie" to "Okay Movie" to "Bad Movie," rises up again for "So-Bad-It's-Good (Plan 9, Rocky Horror, etc)," and then drops off the bottom of a graph with an arrow pointing to where "Star Wars Holiday Special" would be. There are three mini-panels below the graph, arranged from "Good" to "Bad" along the movie quality axis.]

:[Three friends are on a couch, drinking and gesticulating enthusiastically.]
:[The same three are sitting quietly, with a bottle on the floor.]
:[The three are sitting around a table, drinking and looking miserable. One seems to be passed out on the table.]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Line graphs]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Protip]]
[[Category:Star Wars]]

1583: NASA Press Conference

2015-09-30T22:11:58Z

108.162.221.96: /* Transcript */ Remove incomplete

{{comic
| number = 1583
| date = September 28, 2015
| title = NASA Press Conference
| image = nasa_press_conference.png
| titletext = Why are we spending billions to ruin Mars with swarms of robots when Elon Musk has promised to ruin Mars for a FRACTION of the cost?
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Explain each of Beret Guy's questions. Also, what inane questions did real life reporters ask?}}
This comic is a reference to the press conference held by NASA on 28th September 2015, (the same day this comic was published), which confirmed the existence of liquid water at the surface of Mars. The comic was posted before the NASA press conference was held, although speculation about the announcement had already occurred.

The "questions" portion of the press conference is derailed by [[Beret Guy]], acting as a reporter for a network known only as "The News". He first comments he is holding a microphone so he is "real loud now." He then asks how the news about Mars relates to other fields like medicine and sports. This may seem like an intelligent comment but the fields he mentions don't change at all with liquid water being on Mars.  Afterwards he asks if Mars has been "ruined" by getting wet, or if Mars will be okay when it dries out. (Some things, e.g. indoor furniture, can be damaged by water, but Mars is not one of those things.) When asked if he has any other questions he asks why {{w|Luke Skywalker|Luke}} was being hassled at the {{w|Mos Eisley Cantina}}. This causes the other reporters to forget their original questions and to join in on the irrelevant discussion, much to the dismay of the NASA scientist.

This is probably meant to mock previous NASA press conferences, where reporters have asked inane questions {{Citation_needed}} that reveal their total ignorance of the field.

The title text refers to Elon Musk, who suggested [http://edition.cnn.com/2015/09/11/us/elon-musk-mars-nuclear-bomb-colbert-feat/ nuking Mars] as a faster way of warming it up to make it habitable.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is standing at a podium with the NASA logo on it]
:Cueball: That concludes the press conference. Any questions?
:Cueball: Yes, you, from... it just says "The News"?

:[Beret Guy is standing in a crowd holding a microphone]
:Beret Guy: Hi! I have a microphone so I'm real loud now.
:Beret Guy: How does this Mars data compare to data from other fields? Like medicine? Or sports?

:Cueball (offscreen): That question makes no sense.
:Beret Guy: If there's water on Mars, is it ruined?
:Beret Guy: Or will it be okay when it dries out?
:Cueball (offscreen): Any ''other'' questions?

:[The shot zooms out, now showing both Cueball at the podium and the crowd]
:Beret Guy: What were those guys hassling Luke in the Mos Eisley Cantina trying to accomplish? I felt like I was supposed to understand that.
:Cueball: Anyone ''else?''
:Ponytail: That's now my question, too.
:Megan: Were they just picking a fight?
:Ponytail: If so, why did...

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]

1542: Scheduling Conflict

2015-06-25T02:30:58Z

108.162.221.96: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1542
| date = June 24, 2015
| title = Scheduling Conflict
| image = scheduling_conflict.png
| titletext = Neither a spokesperson for the organization nor the current world champion could be reached for comment.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|First draft.}}

This comic envisions a "National Scheduling Conflict Championship" (NSCC), presumably as the culmination of some larger scheduling-conflict competition. It is unclear if the goal of the event is to have a scheduling conflict and miss it, or if there are actual challenges at the event, but the contestants miss the event as it's their nature to always have a scheduling conflict—in other words, whether the event's cancellation is a success or a predictable failure is unclear.

The Abbreviation NSCC is related to many other national sports organizations like {{w|NFL}} and {{w|NBA}}. (The most common use of the NSCC abbreviation on-line seems to be for the {{w|Nova Scotia Community College}}).

The title text mentions that is was impossible to reach either a spokesperson for the organization or for last years champ for a comment. So continuing the problem with schedules for people involved in the NSCC.

This may (or most probably may not) be a play on a common trope in movies such as ''{{w|High School Musical}}'', where the protagonists must choose between two events they want to participate in, one of which is often a competition of some sort.

==Transcript==
:[Picture showing a newspaper with a big headline over a picture. In the picture there is a banner over an empty podium with a microphone. Only the headline and the text on the banner in the picture is readable. All other text in the newspaper is just lines.]
:National Scheduling Conflict
:'''Championships canceled'''
:Banner text: NSCC 2015

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:1542: Scheduling Conflict

2015-06-25T02:25:45Z

108.162.221.96:

What happened to my transcript? I came here, found no page created, put the template up with a transcript and now it's all been overwritten. :P [[User:Jarod997|Jarod997]] ([[User talk:Jarod997|talk]]) 13:19, 24 June 2015 (UTC)
:What happened is that you created the page [[1542]], but that is only mean to be a ''redirect page'' that leads to this page: [[1542: Scheduling Conflict]]. The bot that creates this automatically deleted your transcript when it did it's magic. You can still find you transcript on the 1542 page in the history. (You will have to press the 1542 in the ''(Redirected from 1542)'' at the top of the page to go that page). --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:34, 24 June 2015 (UTC)
::@Jarod997 -- I think there might have been a scheduling conflict. [[User:Ahem|Ahem]] ([[User talk:Ahem|talk]]) 16:41, 24 June 2015 (UTC)

In the explanation, I thought it was more a play on an oxymoron of a bunch of people who are good at fixing scheduling conflicts, only to have a contest in which they're entered be cancelled because of a scheduling conflict. I was going to put this in the explanation (which was blank at the time), but then someone overwrote me - and quite ironically a conflict arose. [[User:Jarod997|Jarod997]] ([[User talk:Jarod997|talk]]) 13:26, 24 June 2015 (UTC)
:Certainly these were my first thoughts. (Championships must take place after (often regional) qualifying Heats, and those that ascend to the final level then need to make themselves available for the ultimate play-offs.) It's possibly the inverse (conflict-creation!), but getting through the preliminaries might be like the old joke of losing out on the competition to become Village Idiot to the competitor ''who didn't turn up''! With ''neither'' of the two sought-after contacts available, either they've not resolved to ensure that at least one of them is contactable at all times, or else they've managed to put aside all other commitments (''including'' the Championships?) to finally get some time together ''with each other''... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.30|141.101.98.30]] 16:39, 24 June 2015 (UTC)
My original take was similar to that of Jarod997- the cancellation wasn't due to anything the participants did/didn't do, but that the competition itself had a scheduling conflict (like the venue was double-booked or something). [[User:AnInsideJoke|AnInsideJoke]] ([[User talk:AnInsideJoke|talk]]) 18:23, 24 June 2015 (UTC)AnInsideJoke
: Sure but that is just not funny, and it does not explain why nobody could be reached for comment [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 20:02, 24 June 2015 (UTC)
:: Because they were too embarrassed over their inability to fix the scheduling conflict over the scheduling conflict championships. [[User:ExternalMonolog|ExternalMonolog]] ([[User talk:ExternalMonolog|talk]]) 22:50, 24 June 2015 (UTC)

Perhaps it's somethin about the US elections or any debate (we didn't recieve any news here at south, im at Brazil hehehehhehe), but a debate is a national event with conflicts chanpionships and it is scheduled. I recon that is something with the schedule of US elections debate, perhaps it was cancled or just changed. perhaps i was seeing the light reflect on mars and was flashed with the M.I.B. memory flash hehehehehehhehehehehehhe. [[User:Gabrielpenalber|gabrielpenalber]] ([[User User:Gabrielpenalber|talk]])

A few remarks, but I'll leave it to someone better versed in the English language to work it into the explanation if he/she wishes to:
- Is this an American thing, to assume the current world champion must be last year's national champion?
- there is a play on words in the title(s), they would be read as "National Scheduling Conflict: Championships canceled" which begs the question "Which championships?". It is only when reading the NSCC banner that you could assume something like the "National Scheduling Conflict Championships" exists.
- How did they get a world champion if the championships are presumably always cancelled? Does that mean the prize is claimed anyway or that the champion is actualy not as good at scheduling conflicts as all those people cancelling because of scheduling conflicts.
- Now I'm overthinking, but there is no reason for a spokesperson to be a good at the activity of the organisation he/she is spokesperson for, or is there?
-

This reminds me a lot of comic #1466: Phone checking. Both are about an obscure championship, and both are interrupted by the nature of said championship. --[[User:Quantanaut|Quantanaut]] ([[User talk:Quantanaut|talk]]) 17:08, 24 June 2015 (UTC)

So (as commented on briefly by an earlier person) I initially read the newspaper headline as National Scheduling Conflict: Championships Cancelled, which is the most obvious reading the way it's stylized, although obviously the picture doesn't make sense in this context. But I think this is intended, that you first read it that way then you look at the picture and go "oh".--[[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.195|108.162.215.195]] 19:36, 24 June 2015 (UTC)
: Yeah, I also thought that's what it said. Maybe a mention of {{w|syntactic ambiguity}} in the explanation would be worthwhile? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.96|108.162.221.96]] 02:25, 25 June 2015 (UTC)

Is there any significant scheduling conflict going on Randall's life right now or his recent past that served as impetus for this comic? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.220.35|108.162.220.35]] 02:20, 25 June 2015 (UTC)

Talk:1540: Hemingway

2015-06-20T09:05:23Z

108.162.221.96:

Did Randall miss the slash before the second blink? Or is there a More Profound Meaning. Possibly higher chance of typos when publication is late (deadline struggle?). [[User:Jkrstrt|Jkrstrt]] ([[User talk:Jkrstrt|talk]]) 14:07, 19 June 2015 (UTC)
*Wow, you're right! [[User:Nk22|The Twenty-second. The Not So Only. The Nathan/Nk22]] ([[User talk:Nk22|talk]]) 14:08, 19 June 2015 (UTC)
**Perhaps that is the error which causes the HTML tags to be visible text? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.218.83|108.162.218.83]] 15:30, 19 June 2015 (UTC)
***Unlikely. The opening tag turns on the effect for all the text that follows until a closing tag is found. No closing tag, and the effect doesn't stop. - Equinox [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.172|108.162.238.172]] 16:32, 19 June 2015 (UTC)
I think (-1) [cursed] may be a reference to the card game Dominion? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.183|108.162.219.183]] 17:51, 19 June 2015 (UTC)
*Actually this is more likely a reference to a cursed item in an RPG (DnD, WoW, etc.), where a cursed item often gives a negative stat bonus instead of a positive one. A magic item might be indicated as Magic Hammer (+2). [[User:Veleek|Veleek]] ([[User talk:Veleek|talk]]) 18:12, 19 June 2015 (UTC)

It is from a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roguelike rogue like] game. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.56.143|162.158.56.143]] 18:41, 19 June 2015 (UTC)

Why is there a bit about HTML sanitization? It's in an image file.. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.22|108.162.221.22]] 18:56, 19 June 2015 (UTC)

The effect of the marquee tag is to create an area of scrolling text. So with the blink tag the html would produce a box of text that will scroll from right to left and have a blinking background akin to annoying internet banner ads. So it's not about html sanitation, the html is visible so you can see the word count, it is up to the reader to interpret it as an annoying internet ad. (Source: mozilla documentation). [[User:Aide7|Aide7]] ([[User talk:Aide7|talk]]) 19:06, 19 June 2015 (UTC)

I hate that I only just learned about the 6-word story on TV Tropes a few days before this comic was posted. I wonder if Randall and I have similar browsing habits. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.210.177|108.162.210.177]] 21:06, 19 June 2015 (UTC)

== Explanations of each "story" ==

* '''For sale: This Gullible Baby's Shoes''' - I don't quite get this one. Maybe it's just not very funny. Anyone?
* '''Baby Shoes For Sale By Owner''' - Funny if one imagines an internet-capable baby posting its own shoes for sale.
* '''<strike>Actually, There's no evidence Hemingway wrote</strike>''' - A fragment of a preemptive rebuttal to the comic's premise (or at least its title), for some reason.
* '''Free Shoes, Provided You Overpower Baby''' - Funny if one imagines a sufficiently powerful baby, or a sufficiently weak shoe seeker.
* '''For Sale: Weird Baby's Toe Shoes''' - "Toe shoes" like the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vibram_FiveFingers FiveFingers] are weird, even too weird for a weird baby perhaps. Previous distaste for toe shoes is evident in [[1065:_Shoes|xkcd 1065]].
* '''For Sale: Baby Shoes (Prime eligible)''' - This is a pretty good ad; Hemmingway is selling the shoes through Amazon and is willing to deliver them quickly and without additional shipping costs.
* '''<strike>Though popularly attributed to Hemingway, the</strike>''' - Another fragment of a rebuttal, written in an encyclopedic style.
* '''This Weird Trick Covers Baby Feet!''' - An ad in clickbait style, nobody's going to click on that though.
* '''For Sale: Baby Shoes, Just Hatched''' - Funny if one imagines shoes as living creatures that lay eggs, from which baby shoes hatch.
* '''Sale: Seven-League Boots (Expedited Shipping)''' - These are magic boots that allow one to walk seven leagues (about 3 miles) with each step. Presumably they'll be delivered by someone wearing the boots.
* '''Complete this survey for free shoes!''' - Another clickbait type ad.
* '''Shoes, by Ernest Hemingway [citation needed]''' - Another reference, wikipedia-style, to the dubious authorship of the original short story.
* '''This is my greatest short story.''' - Self-referential meta-fiction, somewhat reminiscent of Randall's proposed autobiography of Douglas Hofstadter in [[917:_Hofstadter|xkcd 917]].
* '''For sale: Baby shoes (-1) [cursed]''' - The shoes are described in the manner of armor in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roguelike Rougelike games]. These particular shoes will reduce the wearer's protection by one point and cannot be removed.
* '''<blink><marquee>Baby Shoes!</marquee><blink>''' - An ad in old-school annoying HTML style.
* '''For Sale: Baby-sized Saddle, Bobcat''' - Hemmingway is choosing to falsely advertise mere baby shoes as a rather more exciting means of locomotion. Is this wise?
* '''Hemingway Busted for Craigslist Shoe Scam''' - I guess not, he got caught for lying in his ad.
* (hover text) '''Instead of bobcat, package contained chair''' - A reference to [[A-Minus-Minus|xkcd 325]], this indicates that either Hemmingway is now running a new scam (or just "making the world a weirder place"? or a less weird place?) by advertising bobcats and mailing chairs.
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.160|108.162.219.160]] 21:14, 19 June 2015 (UTC)

The current version of the comic has a [http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/hemingway.png correctly nested set of tags]. __rvx [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.96|108.162.221.96]] 09:05, 20 June 2015 (UTC)

Talk:505: A Bunch of Rocks

2014-11-12T03:23:17Z

108.162.221.96: Learned how to sign my post

;Weird thing with lines in it
probably has something to do with relativity -- two objects moving, arriving at different points at the same time, or maybe a diagram of spacetime. [[Special:Contributions/66.202.132.250|66.202.132.250]] 16:44, 10 June 2013 (UTC)

It's a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feynman_diagram Feynman Diagram] [[Special:Contributions/206.174.12.203|206.174.12.203]] 19:24, 10 June 2013 (UTC) Toby Ovod-Everett

:I did add the incomplete tag because this comic and also the explain is still really complex. More important: People without a proper physics background never will understand. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:01, 10 June 2013 (UTC)

There is a short story called "SOLE SOLUTION" by Eric Frank Russell which is quite similar to the one in the story. Just in case that matters.{{unsigned|Maob}}

Re Rule 34 - the point is that this comic _is_ cellular automaton porn (as are the YouTube videos of Minecraft calculators and the like). Rule 34 works, bitches! {{unsigned ip|141.101.98.241}}

Not sure what's incomplete about the explain. <small>[[User:MrGameZone|0100011101100001011011010110010101011010011011110110111001100101]] ([[User talk:MrGameZone|talk page]])</small> 22:56, 11 February 2014 (UTC)

Yo ''calculus'' is the latin word for pebble! I learned this and had to come straight to this page! ahhh connections! [[Special:Contributions/173.245.50.88|173.245.50.88]] Sawyer Biddle

As it turns out, Rule 110 seems to be a ''really bad'' way to simulate a universe- you would be much better off using a {{w|Tag_system|Cyclic tag system}}, since Rule 110 takes dozens of generations and potentially hundreds of cells to simulate one step in such a system, or a more sophisticated cellular automaton, such as {{w|Wireworld.}} --[[User:Someone Else 37|Someone Else 37]] ([[User talk:Someone Else 37|talk]]) 05:12, 9 March 2014 (UTC)

To whoever objected to panel number references, does what I did with first words fix that? {{unsigned ip|199.27.128.99}}

Well, that's a pretty unfair comparison in the last panel, the protag is immortal after all, if I'm immortal I might do the same thing, but hey we got a much shorter life to live {{unsigned ip|103.22.201.168}}

The diagram to the right of the Epitaph of Stevinus looks like a system of coupled pendula, often used in math physics courses to illustrate Lagrangian mechanics. Also may relate to elasticity theory. See for example here: http://demonstrations.wolfram.com/ThreePendulumsConnectedByTwoSprings. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.96|108.162.221.96]] 03:23, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

Talk:505: A Bunch of Rocks

2014-11-12T03:18:32Z

108.162.221.96: The thing next to Epitaph of Stevinus looks like several coupled pendula

;Weird thing with lines in it
probably has something to do with relativity -- two objects moving, arriving at different points at the same time, or maybe a diagram of spacetime. [[Special:Contributions/66.202.132.250|66.202.132.250]] 16:44, 10 June 2013 (UTC)

It's a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feynman_diagram Feynman Diagram] [[Special:Contributions/206.174.12.203|206.174.12.203]] 19:24, 10 June 2013 (UTC) Toby Ovod-Everett

:I did add the incomplete tag because this comic and also the explain is still really complex. More important: People without a proper physics background never will understand. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:01, 10 June 2013 (UTC)

There is a short story called "SOLE SOLUTION" by Eric Frank Russell which is quite similar to the one in the story. Just in case that matters.{{unsigned|Maob}}

Re Rule 34 - the point is that this comic _is_ cellular automaton porn (as are the YouTube videos of Minecraft calculators and the like). Rule 34 works, bitches! {{unsigned ip|141.101.98.241}}

Not sure what's incomplete about the explain. <small>[[User:MrGameZone|0100011101100001011011010110010101011010011011110110111001100101]] ([[User talk:MrGameZone|talk page]])</small> 22:56, 11 February 2014 (UTC)

Yo ''calculus'' is the latin word for pebble! I learned this and had to come straight to this page! ahhh connections! [[Special:Contributions/173.245.50.88|173.245.50.88]] Sawyer Biddle

As it turns out, Rule 110 seems to be a ''really bad'' way to simulate a universe- you would be much better off using a {{w|Tag_system|Cyclic tag system}}, since Rule 110 takes dozens of generations and potentially hundreds of cells to simulate one step in such a system, or a more sophisticated cellular automaton, such as {{w|Wireworld.}} --[[User:Someone Else 37|Someone Else 37]] ([[User talk:Someone Else 37|talk]]) 05:12, 9 March 2014 (UTC)

To whoever objected to panel number references, does what I did with first words fix that? {{unsigned ip|199.27.128.99}}

Well, that's a pretty unfair comparison in the last panel, the protag is immortal after all, if I'm immortal I might do the same thing, but hey we got a much shorter life to live {{unsigned ip|103.22.201.168}}

The diagram to the right of the Epitaph of Stevinus looks like a system of coupled pendula, often used in math physics courses to illustrate Lagrangian mechanics. See for example here: http://demonstrations.wolfram.com/ThreePendulumsConnectedByTwoSprings/