Talk:2639: Periodic Table Changes

2022-07-01T14:34:02Z

108.162.237.75:

The format of this comic appears most similar to https://xkcd.com/1902/. Is it worth noting that, in some representations of the periodic table (see https://ptable.com/#Electrons), Helium is indeed placed in the second column next to Hydrogen? [[User:Dextrous Fred|Dextrous Fred]] ([[User talk:Dextrous Fred|talk]]) 21:54, 29 June 2022 (UTC)

Nice. I'm doing the old "what elements have been obscured/overwritten" thing, after far too long since actually memorising the Periodic Table that was on my school's lab wall... But, hey! Where has Hahnium got to? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.77|172.70.162.77]] 22:25, 29 June 2022 (UTC)

I wonder why he kept the Latinate abbreviations for Antimony and Mercury. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 23:17, 29 June 2022 (UTC)

The changes by Asdf seem like they mostly belong in the Transcript, not Explanation.
:I moved some of my lengthy descriptions from Explanation to Transcript, hopefully this helps. Sorry if I caused inconvenience. -[[User:Asdf|Asdf]] ([[User talk:Asdf|talk]]) 00:00, 30 June 2022 (UTC)

Laaaaame! Not revolutionary enough! Why not simply get rid of all these historical accidents and indicate any element by its nuclear charge? [[Special:Contributions/172.71.102.117|172.71.102.117]] 07:05, 30 June 2022 (UTC)

Anyone else find it ironic that the new kinds of carbon are indexed with Roman numerals on the same comic where it says "this isn't Ancient Rome"? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.38.27|162.158.38.27]] 07:18, 30 June 2022 (UTC)

For the language nerds among us, "I" for iron wouldn't work at all well in Dutch. Although the element is typewritten "ijzer", the first two characters are treated as a single letter and are capitalised together (IJzer). It's pronounced EI and is listed in the Dutch alphabet alongside (or sometimes even instead of) Y.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.233.55|162.158.233.55]] 08:37, 30 June 2022 (UTC)
:Clearly there isn't much consideration given to any other language than English. The "annoying W" is for Wolfram or something close in many languages, "Na" is Natrium, "K" is Kalium - frankly, Mr. Munroe just uses the wrong language. Then again, "Fe" really is annoying, of course it should be "Ei" for Eisen ... [[User:627235|627235]] ([[User talk:627235|talk]]) 11:32, 30 June 2022 (UTC)

This feels more like a parallel to corporate reorganisations that are based on idealised concepts of how an organisation 'should' work than on the practicalities of what people actually do, than it does to economic plans. Particularly with the reference to training elements to adapt to their new positions. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.173|172.70.90.173]] 10:47, 30 June 2022 (UTC)

For the language bit he somehow missed Mercury (Hg: Hydrargyrum). [[User:Thaledison|Erin Anne]] ([[User talk:Thaledison|talk]]) 15:21, 30 June 2022 (UTC)

He also missed Cu. Since copper is more familiar than cobalt, except for certain classes of scientist, it gets Co and cobalt gets Cb. Which will never get confused with niobium, will it? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.175.30|172.70.175.30]] 21:28, 30 June 2022 (UTC)

=== Table galore ===
Can we please get back to a less table-ceneterd style? Tables are a neat tool to order various data. "Text" and "Explanation" are not in that category. That's what (section)headlines are for. Or do you write your articles/homework/thesis/whatever in Excel (or equivalent)? I know people who LOVE to use excel for text work, so that's not that unheared of, but there's a general rule: Use the right tool for the right job. Tables are not the right tool for "Text" and "Explanation". /edit: And such wide tables are generally bad to view/handle in mobile [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 08:22, 1 July 2022 (UTC)

As long as we can all agree on the spellings. I propose that we all use the spelling "aluminum" but as a compromise adopt "platinium" [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.75|108.162.237.75]] 14:34, 1 July 2022 (UTC)

1337: Hack

2014-03-04T13:06:12Z

108.162.237.75: /* Explanation */ 1337 = elite

{{comic
| number = 1337
| date = March 3, 2014
| title = Hack
| image = hack.png
| titletext = HACK THE STARS
}}
<noinclude>:''"1337", this comic's number, redirects here. For the 2007 storyline of the same name, starting with [[341|comic 341]], see [[:Category:1337]].''</noinclude>

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|More detail; characters' motivation, etc.(?)}}

The probe {{w|International Cometary Explorer|ISEE-3/ICE}} is a spacecraft launched on August 12, 1978. The original mission was to study the interaction between the Earth's magnetic field and the solar wind. It was later sent to visit Comet {{w|21P/Giacobini–Zinner|Giacobini-Zinner}} and became the first spacecraft to do so by flying through a comet's tail.

Its trajectory will bring it close to Earth on August 2014. A status check of the spacecraft has revealed that many of its instruments are still working and that it contains plenty of fuel. But the hardware to communicate with ISEE-3/ICE has been decommissioned, and it will be expensive to reestablish the communication needed to use the spacecraft for another mission.

The characters Crash and Burn (and the formers catchphrase, "Mess with the best, die like the rest") are an allusion to the 1995 movie [[wikipedia:Hackers (film)|Hackers]]. Since the movie predates the shutdown-signal (1997), the characters should both possess the skills and 'outdated' equipment to understand and hack the signal to the probe.

In the comic, Burn has hacked into the satellite and left the catchphrase to be shown to those who would log into the satellite regularly. She has also rerouted its path to enter the atmosphere at a certain time. She then uses this knowledge to tell Crash in advance at just the right time that a "falling star" will appear in the sky.

The title text "Hack the stars" is also an allusion to the movie [[wikipedia:Hackers (film)|Hackers]] where the Phrase "Hack the Planet!" is used on multiple occasions.

The number of this comic is 1337, which in {{w|leet speak}} means ''elite'' (elite hacking, in this case).

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}
:[Panel 1 shows an image of the ISEE-3/ICE spacecraft]
:Narration: The ISEE-3/ICE probe was launched in 1978. Its mission ended in 1997 and it was sent a shutdown signal.
:Narration: In 2008, we learned-to our surprise-that the probe didn't shut down. It's still running and it has plenty of fuel. ...and in 2014, its orbit brings it near earth.
:[Panel 3 shows Megan and Ponytail talking to each other.]
:Megan: We could send it on a new mission... Except we no longer have the equipment to send commands to it.
:Ponytail: Can't we...
:Megan: NASA won't rebuild it. "Too Expensive"
:Ponytail: Seriously?
:Megan: I know, right? So the Internet found the specs and we went to work.
:[Panel 5 shows Megan and Ponytail have walking into an area where a girl and Cueball both are sitting at desks looking at laptops.]
:Narration: We've convinced them to give us time on the Madrid DSN transmitter and hacked the maser to support the uplink. And today's the big day.
:Cueball: Transmitting... We have a signal! We have control!
:Megan: OK, transmit the new comet rendezvous maneuver sequen-
:[Cueball, off panel]: What the hell?
:Megan: What?
:Cueball: My console went dead!
:Girl: Mine too!
:Megan: What's happening?!
:Cueball: There's a new signal going out over the transmitter!
:[Megan, off panel]: A bug?
:Cueball: Someone else is in the system!
:Girl: Kill the connection!
:[Cueball, off panel]: I can't find it!
:Girl: They're firing the probe's engines!
:[Cueball, off panel]: NO!
:[Megan, off panel]: Who's doing this?? Stop them!
:[Girl, off panel]: I'm trying!
:Cueball, pointing to his screen: Look! My screen!
:[Text, on Cueball's laptop screen]: M-E-S-S-W-I-T-H-T-H-E-B-E-S-T D-I-E-L-I-K-E-T-H-E-R-E-S-T
:[Panel 13 shows two people in a pool at night.]
:[Panel 14 zooms out to reveal the pool is on top of a skyscraper in a vertically developed, downtown setting.]
:Burn: Crash?
:Crash: Yeah, Burn?
:Burn: Make a wish.
:[Panel 16 shows the spacecraft streaking across the sky, indistinguishable from a meteoroid.]

==Trivia==
*There are several pools in the movie as well. There is a subplot involving a mythical pool on the roof of the high school where several of the characters are students. Additionally, a scene in the movie [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcHBsB0igrg Hackers ending] shows Crash and Burn swimming in a rooftop pool, while several buildings light up with the words "CRASH AND BURN", the result of their friends' latest hack. This scene is similar to the last four panels of the comic.
*The number of the comic is also significant, in that [[:Category:1337|1337]] is a common numeric form of {{w|leet}}, again referring to hackers.

{{comic discussion}}

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

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Talk:2639: Periodic Table Changes

1337: Hack