explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

2739: Data Quality

2023-02-17T17:59:51Z

108.162.237.136: /* Transcript */ i tried ok ~~~~Bumpf

{{comic
| number = 2739
| date = February 17, 2023
| title = Data Quality
| image = data_quality_2x.png
| imagesize = 671x211px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = [exclamation about how cute your cat is] -> [last 4 digits of your cat's chip ID] -> [your cat's full chip ID] -> [a drawing of your cat] -> [photo of your cat] -> [clone of your cat] -> [your actual cat] -> [my better cat]
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a SUPERIOR FELINE - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
Data are transferred in bits, and {{w|data loss}} is the process by which some of these bits are lost or otherwise unfavourably altered during data transport. Data can also be compressed to make transmission and/or storage more efficient; some {{w|compression algorithms}} discard some data to improve the compression (this can be acceptable in audio or visual data, since the difference may be hard for humans to perceive).

This comic shows a chart in the form of a line, moving in increasing quality from most lossy to most lossless. However, the highest quality, "better data", is using a different sense of the term "quality". In the context of data transmission or compression, it refers to how accurately the result represents the original. But in this case, he's referring to its more general excellence.

The title text uses your cat as an example of this range of losses (or, in the case of the latter reaches of the graph, gains) in the data. The most lossy is an exclamation about how cute your cat is, which is ephemeral and obviously carries very little significance in terms of actually providing specific, transferrable information about your cat. The example then progresses into your cat's chip ID; presumably your cat has been microchipped, and between the last four digits (commonly used in sensitive information as an identifier without revealing the full number) or the entire chip ID, provides a still-uninformative yet slightly improved way of identifying your cat. A drawing of your cat and a photo of your cat would portray the cat reasonably well, while a clone of your cat and (of course) your actual cat would be the best way of gaining data about your cat. However, as in the actual comic, the final, most lossless (in this case, with the most gain) form of data transfer has nothing to do with your cat, but is simply Randall's better cat. This is apparently made out by Randall to be the pinnacle of cat data.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Caption above the chart]: DATA QUALITY
:[An arrow pointing right is shown under the caption.]
:[Below the caption and arrow a number-line like chart is shown. Above the center of the line, two words are displayed, separated by a dotted vertical line:]
:Lossy|Lossless
:[Below the number line, phrases are placed at each of the 8 unevenly-spaced hash marks. From left to right, they are:]
:Someone who once saw the data describing it at a party
:Bloom filter
:Hash table
:JPEG, GIF MPEG
:[To the right of the dotted line:]
:PNG, ZIP, TIFF, WAV, Raw data
:Raw data + parity bits for error detection
:Raw data + parity bits for error ''correction''
:Better data

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:1202: Girls and Boys

2019-09-17T16:26:11Z

108.162.237.136:

I figured it was a poem. Turns out it is, of a sort.
https://encrypted.google.com/webhp#safe=off&q=%22girls+go+to%22+%22to+get+more%22
[[Special:Contributions/68.151.108.107|68.151.108.107]] 04:50, 22 April 2013 (UTC)
: The original poem is "Boys go to Jupiter, to get more stupider, girls go to college, to get more knowledge. [[Special:Contributions/97.122.98.70|97.122.98.70]] 03:23, 26 April 2013 (UTC)
::Depends on where you are from I'm sure. Posted a link to a meme with the reverse version which is also currently used in the explanation. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 05:39, 7 August 2016 (UTC)

I thought of ''Men are from Mars Women are from Venus'' by John Gray and the response ''Men Are from Earth. Women Are from Earth: Deal with It'' by Gorge Carlin. If only the sexes could work together we could go to Jupiter.
--[[Special:Contributions/202.129.80.226|202.129.80.226]] 08:12, 22 April 2013 (UTC)
: This is wonderful and I think in the same spirit as the comic. Stop the 'sex war' jokes and admit that both boys and girls want knowledge. And to arrive to Jupiter. [[Special:Contributions/84.150.177.228|84.150.177.228]] 14:02, 22 April 2013 (UTC)
:: Both of you need to read some feminist literature (real feminist, not pop-feminist). [[Special:Contributions/66.202.132.250|66.202.132.250]] 18:03, 22 April 2013 (UTC)
::: For example?--[[Special:Contributions/58.6.224.93|58.6.224.93]] 01:26, 23 April 2013 (UTC)
:::: Anything by "bell hooks" (it's a pen name, and it is all lowercase) [[Special:Contributions/66.202.132.250|66.202.132.250]] 19:16, 23 April 2013 (UTC)
:::: https://excoradfeminisms.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/bell_hooks-feminism_is_for_everybody.pdf [[Special:Contributions/173.190.128.129|173.190.128.129]] 16:06, 25 April 2013 (UTC)
::: Why would anyone need or even want to read anything like this‽ [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.13|141.101.99.13]] 20:04, 1 October 2014 (UTC)

I would interpret differently the two last pictures: as girls and boys SEPARATLY go to college to get knowledge, Girls and boys TOGETHER go to Jupiter, meaning when a boy and girl interact, they generally act stupid... {{unsigned ip|217.128.49.53}}
: I cannot imagine the author of XKCD using going to Jupiter as an example of doing something stupid. Absolutely improbable IMHO.[[Special:Contributions/84.150.177.228|84.150.177.228]] 14:02, 22 April 2013 (UTC)

:isnt thw rocket quite phallic? girlsnand boysngo to colledge to getmore....ehm... knowledge? {{unsigned ip|88.119.96.51}}
:: No, is only a rocket. But, thinking about your comment like it was a response from a rorschach test, well, it tell us something about yourself [[User:Chris-l|Chris-l]] ([[User talk:Chris-l|talk]]) 15:22, 22 April 2013 (UTC)
:: It tells us that he's drunk. [[Special:Contributions/66.202.132.250|66.202.132.250]] 18:03, 22 April 2013 (UTC)

::: For rockets it's the aerodynamic, but some towers make you thinking, especially if some mayors compete who has it bigger ... I mean who has bigger tower in their city. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 09:34, 25 April 2013 (UTC)

: After reading the discussion here, I actually support the sexual innuendo explanation. Consider what you learn with american college movies, xkcd's tendency to subvert ideas (remember it's a child's chanting) and the rocket analogy. Also, the title text may have the purpose of correcting the reader's dirty mind. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.212.28|108.162.212.28]] 02:09, 6 March 2014 (UTC)

: [[Special:Contributions/99.66.9.158|99.66.9.158]] 11:26, 22 April 2013 (UTC)Sometimes a rocket is just a rocket.
: Looks to me like a typical Titan rocket. [[User:Zelmo|Zelmo]] ([[User talk:Zelmo|talk]]) 14:15, 22 April 2013 (UTC)

: I wish today's comic made me laugh. [[Special:Contributions/184.66.160.91|184.66.160.91]] 14:30, 22 April 2013 (UTC)

: "Go to Jupiter to get knowledge" is a reference to the movie 2001. Also, I remember hearing the poem as "GIRLS, go to COLL,ege so THEY can get, KNOW,ledge, BOYS, go to JUpiter so THEY, can get STUpider" which avoids the "more stupider" construction. [[Special:Contributions/66.202.132.250|66.202.132.250]] 17:57, 22 April 2013 (UTC)

: knowledge or no knowledge, I don't want to go TO Jupiter. Near Jupiter, maybe. Ganymede? {{unsigned ip|‎24.79.11.46}}

::Not TOO near Jupiter either. Io is particularly unhospitable. Europe? -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 09:34, 25 April 2013 (UTC)

:Frankly, I am thanfull Mr. Munroe made this. This taunt, while never directly aimed at myself, was an irritant to me, a knowledge-lover. This comic reconciles the genders and deconstructs the taunt. (Of course, from what I had seen in my life, most school-age boys, even the adolescent ones, WOULD prefer getting stupider, what with their real-life trolling and immature behaviour.) [[User:Greyson|Greyson]] ([[User talk:Greyson|talk]]) 12:03, 23 April 2013 (UTC)

::Nah, most boys wouldn't like to be stupider, they are perfectly satisfied with how stupid they are :-) -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 09:34, 25 April 2013 (UTC)

By the way, I first head of the taunt (but with the clauses reversed) in Hey Arnold! [[User:Greyson|Greyson]] ([[User talk:Greyson|talk]]) 12:05, 23 April 2013 (UTC)

Girls think going to Jupiter is stupid? Typical. XY FTW :P [[Special:Contributions/220.224.246.97|220.224.246.97]] 12:25, 25 April 2013 (UTC)

Hmmm, I saw the rocket blasting off as sexual inuendo. And the alt text/pop up reference about going to Jupiter to get more knowledge I took as gaining carnal knowledge. {{unsigned ip|98.203.137.178}}

Currently the explanation says that '.. human beings arn't yet even capable of going to Mars.' This is patently false - it confuses ability with desire. I'm going to change the wording on that. [[Special:Contributions/24.70.188.179|24.70.188.179]] 18:08, 18 May 2013 (UTC)

A manned mission to Jupiter would actually be pretty stupid since it's made of gas. They're better off going to one of the moons. Europa, maybe, or Ganymede. [[User:Jake|Jake]] ([[User talk:Jake|talk]]) 15:51, 16 August 2014 (UTC)

Oy. There is some serious overthink going on here. [[User:Orazor|Orazor]] ([[User talk:Orazor|talk]]) 12:42, 24 September 2014 (UTC)

Why would you visit a gas giant with crippling gravity? The only thing stupider than going to Jupiter, is going to the sun, which is no fun. -- 00:02, 26 September 2014 (UTC)

Oh my God. The original taunt has nothing sexual content. This also doesn't. The rocket is really looking like a rocket launch, very clearly made, and not very much like a phallus, although in the right frame of (male) mind anything tower like can look like that. It is so clear that this comic is only about deconstructing a stupid taunt, and has noting to do with sex! Going on a manned mission to Jupiter, by the way, would always mean either going in to orbit or to one of the larger moons. But you would still not say we are going to "Europa" (the moon) but we are going to Jupiter (to land on Europa). That it would be hard to survive for long out there, due to heavy cosmic radiation enhanced by the strong magnetic field of Jupiter, may make it seem stupid to go there on a manned mission, but many people have sacrificed their lives on mission of exploration before in human history. So this may not even be seen as stupid if there where important knowledge to gain and I'm sure many people would be willing to die young after having seen the storm of Jupiter up close! (rant over :-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 05:36, 7 August 2016 (UTC)

Well, now Cher goes to Jupiter. And Isaac Asimov knew it before.
http://www.images-booknode.com/book_cover/86/full/cher-jupiter-85720.jpg [[Special:Contributions/162.158.202.144|162.158.202.144]] 08:51, 4 December 2016 (UTC)

I'm reminded of the old joke about women getting MRS degrees. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.136|108.162.237.136]] 16:26, 17 September 2019 (UTC)

Talk:2193: Well-Ordering Principle

2019-08-26T12:35:47Z

108.162.237.136:

Still a "trap": POOF, you're now the worst McFly cosplayer; here's a mirror.
:She asked about people who 'tried' to dress as Marty McFly. So unless Megan has ever tried to dress as him, I don't think she can be the answer.[[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 00:10, 24 August 2019 (UTC)
::_Technically_, Megan never used the formal "I wish" construction: she had "my wish is" and "just show me." Since the genie didn't immediately grant it in response to "my wish is," either (1) it's not possible (see other folks' comments below), (2) like Alex Trebec, he requires the proper format, or (3) we can assume that he'll respond to a direct order ... in which case, Megan will become a McFly cosplayer in a subsequent panel. :p
:Considering that wishing for any of the genie's suggestions would make her a wanted criminal that stole a billion dollars, a housefly in a room full of irritable people, or a genie trapped in a lamp for all eternity, this is hardly a terrible fate. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.65.66|172.68.65.66]] 14:04, 25 August 2019 (UTC)

*Are* costumes well-ordered? Even leaving aside the subjectivity of any ranking, there are several different criteria which could be used, and many ways of combining them. (What if the costume which looked least like Marty wasn't the ugliest, nor the one showing least effort?) — Also, may be worth qualifying the explanation of Halloween by mentioning the USA; some other countries don't celebrate it, and of those that do, not all do trick-or-treating or dressing-up &c. [[User:Gidds|Gidds]] ([[User talk:Gidds|talk]]) 00:23, 24 August 2019 (UTC)

::Saying there are different criteria kind of overlaps with saying the ranking is subjective. But far worse, even individual preferences are preorders aka quasiorders, which absolutely does mean that there may not be a worst, or even a set of costumes tied for worst. However, the fact that you can always find someone (e.g. on Amazon Mechanical Turk, or off the street, or on a wiki somewhere) to give you another opinion means that well-foundedness can be rescued with their {{w|mean opinion score}}. I wonder if the genie is powerful enough to know the asymptotic MOS ranking right away, or if it will have to wait for enough Amazon Mechanical Turk HITs to be completed. Given that there must have been at least hundreds of thousands of consumes so far, that could take quite a long time to achieve p<0.05. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.22.248|172.69.22.248]] 04:00, 24 August 2019 (UTC)
::I've spent way too much time on this, but the more I do, the more I think Randall is trying to say something about the simulation hypothesis, related to the theme on [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=th5uJNB7VU8 ''Watch Room''] (warning: somewhat creepy but otherwise ok sci-fi short.) [[Special:Contributions/172.69.22.134|172.69.22.134]] 12:32, 24 August 2019 (UTC)

I hope this Munroe lowkey challenging the internet, that we might actually celebrate our infamous king (or girl marty queen) of crappy costume. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.58.219|162.158.58.219]] 00:37, 24 August 2019 (UTC)

The "worst McFly" and "even" sounds like there should be a math pun in there somewhere, but I don't see it. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.63.11|172.69.63.11]] 01:36, 24 August 2019 (UTC)

"It's been over 30 years since Back to the Future came out." That makes me feel old. Isn't that something that Munroe does regularly? Should that be mentioned in the explanation? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.214.88|162.158.214.88]] 10:42, 24 August 2019 (UTC)
:Yes, I am sure there have been at least two comics where the often surprising ages of things formed a central part of the theme, but I can't remember enough about them to find them. Anyone? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.82|162.158.255.82]] 11:55, 24 August 2019 (UTC)
::Just see [[:Category:Comics to make one feel old]] :-). --[[User:DaB.|DaB.]] ([[User talk:DaB.|talk]]) 12:29, 24 August 2019 (UTC)
:::Thanks {{done}} [[Special:Contributions/172.69.22.134|172.69.22.134]] 12:38, 24 August 2019 (UTC)

"The real Worst McFly is probably lost to time" is also a pun regarding the fact that ''Back to the Future'' is a time-travel story.--[[User:MCBastos|MCBastos]] ([[User talk:MCBastos|talk]]) 17:20, 24 August 2019 (UTC)

I wonder if this could be trap from Megan - even unintended one: in some stories, the Genie could get into problems if he CANT fulfill the wish ... -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 22:07, 24 August 2019 (UTC)

Even if "preference" is a total order (i.e. connex and anti-symmetric, I think both of these are debatable) it isn't necessarily a well order, however, since the set of costumes is finite, there would still be a "worst" one. [[User:Probably not Douglas Hofstadter|Probably not Douglas Hofstadter]] ([[User talk:Probably not Douglas Hofstadter|talk]]) 03:17, 25 August 2019 (UTC)

:It's not a total preorder unless you don't let people have "no opinion" about some pairs, which is an acceptable constraint for preferences based on established objective criteria, but not something so subjective like quality of fashion. In practice, a lot of people are going to have least favorites between which they don't care. Surveys of subjective preferences almost always allow people to say that they don't have opinions or are not sure. Even in technically objective measures, like short- versus long-term bond yield curves, you can sometimes prove that people objectively should have certain preferences upon which they are clearly not acting. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.189.19|172.68.189.19]] 07:40, 25 August 2019 (UTC)

1809: xkcd Phone 5

2017-03-11T09:07:01Z

108.162.237.136:

{{comic
| number = 1809
| date = March 10, 2017
| title = xkcd Phone 5
| image = xkcd_phone_5.png
| titletext = The phone will be collected by the toll operators and mailed back to you within 4-6 weeks.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Needs a lot more}}
This is the fifth entry in the ongoing [[:Category:xkcd Phones|xkcd Phone series]], and once again, the comic plays with many standard tech buzzwords and horribly misuses all of them, to create a phone that sounds impressive but self-evidently isn't to even the most ignorant customer. The previous comic in the series [[1707: xkcd Phone 4]] was released almost 8 months before this one.

===Table of features===
{| class="wikitable"
!Feature
!Explanation
|-
|'''Bluetooth speaker'''
| Bluetooth speakers are often used to play audio from a smartphone wirelessly, usually with more volume and better quality than the phone's small built-in speaker can provide. Embedding one into the device makes both of these redundant, and implies it relies on the This is the only potentially useful feature of this phone as while a {{w|bluetooth}} speaker built in to the device would be no more useful for playing music from it than any other speaker it would enable other devices to play through your phone. This is perhaps a jab at the current trend of playing music or Internet content audibly in public through the tiny, tinny speaker embedded in most phones.
|-
|'''Stained-glass display'''
| {{w|Stained glass}} is traditionally used for decorative windows in buildings, and it is generally much thicker and less transparent than glass normally used for touch-screens, making it cumbersome and difficult to use.
|-
|'''Gallium chassis remains solid up to 85°F'''
| Many high-end electronic devices have chassis made of alloys of light metals such as magnesium or titanium. Besides being lightweight and of superior quality and durability than ordinary sheet steel or cheap plastic, these are often perceived as bragging points by the users, boasting about 'rare' metal chassis.

{{w|Gallium}} is an uncommon metal with a low melting point of 85 °F (or 29.8 °C), making it one of only four metals (along with mercury, rubidium and caesium) that are liquid around room temperature. Because the melting point is lower than the average human body temperature, a gallium smartphone chassis would melt in the user's bare hand, assuming it hadn't already done so due to heat produced by its internal components. Even if the electronics had good heat management, cooling in smartphones is normally accomplished by distributing heat to the case, not exhausting it.
|-
|'''Soundproof'''
| Presumably this means that speakers and microphone may not work.
|-
|'''Can feel pain'''
| Possibly a reference to artificial intelligence assistants like Siri and Cortana gaining consciousness. This could mean either the phone feels pain inflicted upon it or feels the user's pain. Which meaning may become apparent when the chassis melts on contact with exposed skin and the phone is left with open wounds.
|-
|'''E-Z Pass partnership'''
|{{w|E-Z Pass}} is an electronic toll collection system. The vehicle drives through the toll lane without stopping, and sensors detect the pass and deduct the appropriate amount from the user's account. The phone's integration with E-Z Pass is absurd. Not only would you have to stop in order to throw the phone into the coin basket, but you would also lose your phone. The title text says that the phone will be returned to you after 4–6 weeks, which mitigates the second problem slightly, but you would still lose use of the phone for a month.
|-
|'''Foldable (once)'''
|Presumably you can "fold" it by snapping it in half but you can only do this once because the phone won't work once you snap it. It may refer to the fact that a later version of iPhone had a weak spot that lead it to easily folding and breaking.
|-
|'''Screen transfers images to skin'''
| This could either mean the image displayed on the screen or potentially whatever the stained glass image itself is.
|-
|'''Retina storage'''
| This is a play on the name of Apple's prized "{{w|Retina Display}}". The joke may be in reference to Apple's possession of a trademark for the word "retina" in regards to computer equipment, which is made to seem absurd by the unusual use. It is not made clear whose retinas are meant to be stored. Could also be a reference to retinally implanted computers.
|-
|'''Background task automatically catches and eats Pokémon'''
| A reference to {{w|Pokémon Go}}, an augmented reality game where the goal to go to specific locations and play a mini-game in order to catch virtual creatures called pokemon. This phone apparently does it automatically, similar to the external device Pokémon Go Plus. However, it also eats them, which is something that is not part of the game and wouldn't be desirable.
|-
|'''Supercuts partnership'''
| {{w|Supercuts}} is an American hair salon chain that provides hair cuts and styling. The implication here is that the user can get a haircut by sticking their hair in the charging slot. This is not only impractical but would most likely result in a bad haircut. This feature could actually be quite dangerous if the hair is not removed from the charging slot because the hair could melt or catch fire inside of the phone.
|-
|'''Squelch knob'''
|{{w|Squelch}} is a feature of two-way radios (CB, ham, etc) which quiets background noise when no signal is present. For a smartphone, perhaps this knob could control the "signal-to-noise" ratio of your Facebook feed or other social media platforms. It also takes the place of the headphone jack.
|-
|'''IBM buckling-spring Home button'''
|IBM {{w|Buckling spring|buckling-spring}} keyboards are favorites of geeks for the feeling of quality and auditory feedback (keys click loudly) they provide. The iPhone's Home button provides little to no such satisfaction when pressed.
|-
|'''Cot-caught merger switch'''
| This is a reference to the {{w|cot–caught merger}}, a linguistic change happening among English speakers, particularly in some parts of North America and the British Isles, which causes caught (previously pronounced "kawt") to be pronounced the same as cot (pronounced "kot").
|-
|'''60x optical zoom camera'''
|A powerful {{w|zoom lens|optical zoom}} is usually a desirable feature for cameras. However, as shown in the comic, it results in very bulky lens. For that reason, such lens are rarely used in smartphones, though there are some devices like the {{w|Samsung Galaxy Camera}} that have a similar design. This would seem to be a jab at the variety of add-on devices, including close-up lenses, handles and external flashes, that are currently in use to enhance the phone's ability to function like a camera.
|-
|'''Loran navigation'''
| {{w|LORAN}} (Long Range Navigation) was a precursor to modern {{W|Global Positioning System|GPS}} navigation, using land-based transmitters. Once developed for sea shipping, it is accurate to about 300 meters. The joke, of course, is that all modern smartphones have integrated GPS navigation which is far more accurate. Due to the much lower frequencies involved, reception of LORAN signals though is much better in areas with obstructed view of the sky.

Incidentally, some receivers of the {{w|Decca Navigator System}} (which operates on a similar principle as LORAN) featured moving map displays, something we associate with modern GPS devices.
|-
|'''28-factor authentication'''
| An {{w|Authentication#Factors and identity|authentication factor}} is a way of proving one's identity. There are [http://www.nikacp.com/images/10.1.1.200.3888.pdf 3 generally recognized forms]: something you know, something you have, and something you are. It can be a password, a fingerprint, a physical key, etc.... Secure applications may include two or more factors, a common example is the "PIN and chip" system used with credit cards, where you need both the card and secret code to authorize a transaction. Many online services now provide two-factor authentication to protect against password-based attacks. 28-factor authentication would likely be very secure in theory but also so impractical that it would be unusable.
|-
|'''Hook shot'''
| The ''{{w|The Legend of Zelda|Legend of Zelda}}'' [http://zelda.gamepedia.com/Hookshot recurring weapon/tool], used to bring items to {{w|Link (The Legend of Zelda)|Link}} or bring Link closer to a goal. Likely a reference to ''{{w|The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild|Breath of the Wild}}'', which was released a week prior to this comic.
|-
|}

The slogan "We're trying to catch up to Apple but refuse to skip numbers" is a reference to inconsistent product numbering, such as Samsung releasing the Note 7 after the Note 5, likely in an attempt to catch up to the numbering of either the iPhone or Galaxy S series, both of which were already at 7. Nevertheless, there was no official iPhone 2 but here an [[xkcd Phone 2]] is available.

==Transcript==
:[An image of a smartphone with a large camera lens on its back is shown. Over the entire length the case is slightly rounded. Clockwise from the top the labels read:]
:Bluetooth speaker
:Stained-glass display
:Gallium chassis remains solid up to 85°F
:Soundproof
:Can feel pain
:E-Z Pass partnership: Phone can be dropped into coin basket to pay tolls
:Foldable (once)
:Screen transfers images to skin
:Retina storage
:Background task automatically catches and eats Pokémon
:Supercuts partnership: Trims hair fed into charging port
:Squelch knob
:IBM buckling-spring home button
:Cot-caught merger switch
:60x optical zoom camera
:Loran navigation
:28-factor authentication
:Hook shot

:[Below the phone:]
:Introducing
:<big><big>The XKCD Phone 5</big></big>
:''We're trying to catch up to Apple but refuse to skip numbers<sup>®</sup>™''

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:xkcd Phones]]
[[Category:Pokémon]]

Talk:1727: Number of Computers

2016-09-12T00:39:30Z

108.162.237.136:

Huh. Just noticed I missed a sentence at the beginning, but I'm too lazy to fix it. Could someone else rewrite my horrible draft? [[Special:Contributions/173.245.50.85|173.245.50.85]] 06:19, 31 August 2016 (UTC)
:I have done that now. ;-) And added a "few" extra details. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:52, 31 August 2016 (UTC)

The dotted line may also mean that the mission could possibly be extended, as happened to many NASA missions, in which case the destruction would occur later than currently planned.
Zetfr 15:22, 31 August 2016 (UTC)

There's a HAL9000 joke <s>in there</s> all over it. [[User:Aasasd|Aasasd]] ([[User talk:Aasasd|talk]]) 16:26, 31 August 2016 (UTC)

The line is indicating linear growth, not exponential. Exponential growth would be parabolic, not straight. Tinny 17:20, 31 August 2016 (UTC)
:Note the log scale.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.86.137|162.158.86.137]] 17:51, 1 September 2016 (UTC)

Did you miss the point about the left axis being logarithmic, or do you need an "explain explain xkcd" page to teach you basic graphing concepts?
flounder

If the implied goal is destroying computers ''in Jupiter'' I’m afraid it is completely impossible for NASA to finish even if we stopped manufacturing them now. Some computers have already been destroyed by other means. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.27|162.158.74.27]] 03:01, 2 September 2016 (UTC)

Could there be a reference to Lord of the Rings? Having to travel a long distance to destroy an object in the one location it can be destroyed. {{unsigned ip|108.162.237.133}}

Is that really so hard to send probe on Jupiter orbit into Jupiter? I would expect it would likely happen even if not trying, either because orbit not being totally stable or because the probe will hit something. Or get under Io. ... -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 21:28, 4 September 2016 (UTC)

Talk:1713: 50 ccs

2016-07-29T14:17:35Z

108.162.237.136: garden path

I don't fully get this joke but I do get that people do all sorts of strange things to cure hiccups so I think it has to do with that but I don't understand the title text at all [[User:MrEnder|MrEnder]] ([[User talk:MrEnder|talk]]) 05:26, 29 July 2016 (UTC)

Thinking more CCs is a measurement of medicine usually referring to pain killers. Maybe people are coming in with the hiccups and the doctor is going to hand out pain killers (or just sugar pills) saying they are a hiccup vaccine and is annoyed at having to do so. So this could be a joke about placebo drugs. [[User:MrEnder|MrEnder]] ([[User talk:MrEnder|talk]]) 05:33, 29 July 2016 (UTC)

: No, 1 cc here literally mean "cc" which is egnogh c's to spell va'''cc'''ination -- so 25 cc's is literally "cccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccc" [[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.113|162.158.255.113]] 13:53, 29 July 2016 (UTC)

50cc is a volume measurement typically used to measure injectible dosages. A metric measure meaning "cubic centimetre" it is equivalent to 1 millilitre. Thus, the title is referring to volume of injection. However, the words hiccup and vaccine both include the letter combination "cc", hence writing them down 25 times each will be a total of 50 "cc" words. This is supported by the additional "cc" words in the mouseover text
[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.78|141.101.98.78]] 05:36, 29 July 2016 (UTC)

Folks, it's a matter of spelling: it takes 50 pieces of the letters "cc" to write "hiccup vaccine" 25 times {{unsigned ip|162.158.85.141}}

Could it be related to http://xkcd.com/1383/ ? [[Special:Contributions/198.41.242.241|198.41.242.241]] 05:45, 29 July 2016 (UTC)

Just noticed something else! maybe coincidence! But raccoons are known to have rabies. If you read the title texts first letters of the description of what happened you get R A A A A B (could be pronounced Ray Bee) because accordions have nothing to do with women's roman drinking and ecstasy parties as far as I can tell [[User:MrEnder|MrEnder]] ([[User talk:MrEnder|talk]]) 05:47, 29 July 2016 (UTC)

:: #overthinking [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.115|141.101.104.115]] 11:10, 29 July 2016 (UTC)

Y'all are making this too complicated. It's the classic garden-path joke which says something simple and obvious, then says something that completely changes the meaning of what went before. "I shot an elephant in my pajamas. I don't know how he got into my pajamas." [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.136|108.162.237.136]] 14:17, 29 July 2016 (UTC)