explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

2957: A Crossword Puzzle

2024-07-10T22:49:44Z

108.162.237.81: Added 24d

{{comic
| number = 2957
| date = July 10, 2024
| title = A Crossword Puzzle
| image = a_crossword_puzzle_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x937px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Hint: If you ever encounter this puzzle in a crossword app, just [term for someone with a competitive and high-achieving personality].
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|CreAAAAAAAAAted by AAAAAAAAAAA BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This is a crossword puzzle where every single answer consists only of the letter "A". On a surface level, however, the answers seem extremely difficult, with some involving base conversions, and some involving the wordplay typical of the crossword style.

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:auto"
|-
! Location !! Clue !! Explanation
|-
| 1-Across || Famous Pvt. Wilhelm quote || Reference to the {{w|Wilhelm scream}}.
|-
| 11-Across || IPv6 address record || An IPv4 record is an "A" record, an IPv6 record is four times the length and is designated an "AAAA" record.
|-
| 15-Across || “CIPHERTEXT” decrypted with Vigenère key “CIPHERTEXT” || A "{{w|Vigenère Cipher}}" translates the original text by the distance from A from the key, letter by letter. For instance, if the plaintext is "XK" and the key is "CD", the C shifts X 2 forward to become Z, and the D shifts K 3 forward to become N, yielding a ciphertext of "ZN". Since the ciphertext and the key are the same in this case, decryption just shifts all the letters back to A, akin to subtracting a number from itself and getting 0.
|-
| 16-Across || 8mm diameter battery || A {{w|AAAA battery}} is a 1.5V battery that measures 8.3mm in diameter, 2.2mm smaller than the more common AAA battery.
|-
| 17-Across || “Warthog” attack aircraft || The {{w|A-10 Warthog}} is a well-known attack aircraft. Here, A-10 has been turned into AAAAAAAAAA (ten As).
|-
| 18-Across || Every third letter in the word for “inability to visualize” || Aphantasia is the inability to visualize. Following the instruction, we determine that '''A'''ph'''a'''nt'''a'''si'''a''' gives us the word "aaaa".
|-
| 19-Across || An acrostic hidden on the first page of the dictionary || The first page of the dictionary (if you ignore the copyright page and the index) is the list of words starting with A. An acrostic of this page, taking the first letter of each line and arranging them in order, would just be a sequence of A's, as most of the answers to this crossword are {{citation needed}}.
|-
| 21-Across || Default paper size in Europe || {{w|A4 paper}} (here written as AAAA) is the default size in Europe. At 210x297mm, it is approximately 0.24" narrower and 0.71" longer than the 8.5"x11" paper used in the United States, and due to having an aspect ratio of 1:sqrt(2), can be cut in half to create two half-sized sheets with exactly the same aspect ratio.
|-
| 22-Across || First four unary strings || Unary's when you get to use just the one symbol. E.g. 32 in unary would be 11111111111111111111111111111111. The first four strings in unary, if you used A as the first (and only) symbol, would be A, AA, AAA, AAAA.
|-
| 23-Across || Lysine codon || {{w|Lysine}} is an amino acid, with codons AAA and AAG (presumably the former is meant here).
|-
| 24-Across || 40 CFR Part 63 subpart concerning asphalt pollution || [https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-40/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-63?toc=1 "40 CFR Part 63"] refers to federal air pollutant regulations. The subpart for "asphalt processing and asphalt roofing manufacturing" is AAAAAAA.
|-
| 25-Across || Top bond credit rating || The highest {{w|credit rating}} for bonds is AAA.
|-
| 26-Across || Audi coupe || First of three Audi references. {{w|List_of_Audi_vehicles|Audi's car models}} range from A1 (subcompact hatchback) to A8 (full-size luxury sedan); the A5 is a compact executive coup.
|-
| 27-Across || A pair of small remote batteries, when inserted || A reference to two AAA batteries (AAAAAA), placed end-to-end when inserted into a device requiring two of them.
|-
| 29-Across || Unofficial Howard Dean slogan || A reference to Howard Dean, an American Democrat who ran for the party's nomination in 2004. He famously [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6i-gYRAwM0 yelled at a rally] in a way that was thought to be bizarre and which, it is thought, doomed his campaign.
|-
| 32-Across || A 4.0 report card || A 4.0 GPA, at least {{w|Academic_grading_in_the_United_States|in the USA}}, is all A's. This clue assumes seven classes.
|-
| 33-Across || The “Harlem Globetrotters of baseball” (vowels only) || The {{w|Savannah Bananas}}, the vowels for whom are aaaaaa.
|-
| 34-Across || 2018 Kiefer song || [https://genius.com/Kiefer-aaaaa-lyrics AAAAA].
|-
| 35-Across || Top Minor League tier || The top {{w|Minor League Baseball}} tier is AAA.
|-
| 36-Across || Reply elicited by a dentist || Dentists ask patients to "say aaaaaaa", i.e. "open up". This could also be an expression of pain; particularly the only kind you can make with dental tools in your mouth. (As Autechre put it: [https://youtu.be/UppsLKz1iD4 "Now, I don't want you to panic... just lean back and relax."])
|-
| 38-Across || ANAA’s airport || AAA the IATA code for the airport
|-
| 41-Across || Macaulay Culkin’s review of aftershave || Macaulay Culkin's review of aftershave: Famously in the movie {{w|Home Alone}} he puts it on because he's home all alone and dislikes it, emitting a scream, which could be transcribed like A's.
|-
| 43-Across || Marketing agency trade grp. || The {{w|American Association of Advertising Agencies}}, also called the 4A's (here AAAA).
|-
| 44-Across || Soaring climax of Linda Elder’s Man of La Mancha ||
|-
| 46-Across || Military flight community org. ||
|-
| 47-Across || Iconic line from Tarzan || When he’s swinging on a vine, yelling “Aaaaaaaaaa!”
|-
| 48-Across || Every other letter of Jimmy Wales’s birth state || The birth state of {{w|Jimmy Wales}}, the co-founder of Wikipedia, is Alabama. Taking every other letter of '''A'''l'''a'''b'''a'''m'''a''' gives "Aaaa".
|-
| 49-Across || Warthog’s postscript after “They call me mister pig!” ||
|-
| 50-Across || Message to Elsa in Frozen 2 || The call which Elsa hears in Frozen 2 is a sequence of four notes which resemble the Dies Irae. The sequence is sung entirely with an open rounded vowel sound, or a soft "a" sound.
|-
| 51-Across || Lola, when betting it all on Black 20 in Run Lola Run || In ''Run Lola Run'', Lola (Franka Potente) [https://youtu.be/OTSz1w-cuZM?si=2vc51WCWvn20Hjoo&t=116 screams loud enough to affect the outcome] of a roulette wheel where she has just bet all her money on Black 20. The scream could be transcribed as "AAAAAAAAAAA"
|-
| 1-Down || Game featuring “a reckless disregard for gravity” || {{w|AaAaAA!!! – A Reckless Disregard for Gravity}} - notably the title is commonly extended in promotional material beyond 6 A's.
|-
| 2-Down || 101010101010101010101010(2->16) || 10101010 10101010 10101010 in binary is equivalent to "AAAAAA" in hexadecimal.
|-
| 3-Down || Google phone released July ’22 || the Pixel 6a was released in July 22. Stylized in this puzzle as "AAAAAA"
|-
| 4-Down || It’s five times better than that other steak sauce || 5 times better than {{w|A1 steak sauce}} would be A5, stylized in this puzzle as "AAAAA"
|-
| 5-Down || ToHex(43690) || The decimal number 43690 converted to hexadecimal is AAAA
|-
| 6-Down || Freddie Mercury lyric from Under Pressure ||
|-
| 7-Down || Full-size Audi luxury sedan || Second of three Audi references. As mentioned previously, the A8 is their full-size luxury sedan.
|-
| 8-Down || Fast path through a multiple choice marketing survey || The "fast path" is just to select the first option over and over again. Usually the options are labeled A, B, C, and D (or more) - choosing the first option for every question would be answering entirely with A's.
|-
| 9-Down || 12356631 in base 26 ||
|-
| 10-Down || Viral Jimmy Barnes chorus || A reference to the music video for Kirin J Callinan's song 'Big Enough', which features Jimmy Barnes in a cowboy hat screaming "Aaaaaaa!" while in the sky over mountain scenes.
|-
| 11-Down || Ruby Rhod catchphrase || Ruby Rhod is a radio host in the film 'The Fifth Element'; he has a scene with a memorable scream.
|-
| 12-Down || badbeef + 9efcebbb || In hexadecimal badbeef and 9efcebbb add together to equal AAAAAAAA (195,935,983, 2,667,375,547, and 2,863,311,530 in decimal respectively)
|-
| 13-Down || In Wet Let’s Ur Mum, what the singer has been practicing || In the song "Ur Mum" by Wet Leg, the bridge starts with "Okay, I've been practicing my longest and loudest scream", which is apparently eight As long
|-
| 14-Down || Refrain from Nora Reed bot ||
|-
| 20-Down || Mario button presses to ascent Minas Tirith’s walls || {{w|Minas Tirith}}. In Mario games you typically use the A button to jump. In games where you don't press a button to move (e.g. games with a joystick) then the button presses required to ascend a vertical structure would probably all be A. This clue might have been inspired by the {{w|A-button challenge}} / [https://ukikipedia.net/wiki/A_Button_Challenge A Button Challenge], which tallies the amount of A presses needed to beat ''Super Mario 64''. Additionally, Minas Tirith is a city with seven concentric rings, each with a wall around it and higher than the last ring. Presumably, it takes seven jumps to get to the highest area of the city, so the answer is "AAAAAAA"
|-
| 24-Down || Vermont historic route north from Bennington || {{w|Vermont Route 7A}}, or AAAAAAA
|-
| 26-Down || High-budget video game || A high budget video game is usually referred to as a Triple-A game, or AAA
|-
| 28-Down || Unorthodox Tic-Tac-Toe win || Tic-Tac-Toe is usually won by getting either three Xs or three Os in a row, making XXX and OOO normal Tic-Tac-Toe wins. The unorthodox win expected here is most likely AAA.
|-
| 29-Down || String whose SHA-256 hash ends “…689510285e212385” || `echo -n AAAAAAAA <nowiki>|</nowiki> sha256sum` outputs `c34ab6abb7b2bb595bc25c3b388c872fd1d575819a8f55cc689510285e212385`.
|-
| 30-Down || Arnold’s remark to the Predator ||
|-
| 31-Down || The vowels in the fire salamander’s binomial name || The vowels in Salamandra salamandra are aaaaaaaa
|-
| 32-Down || Janel Leigh Psycho line ||
|-
| 34-Down || Seven 440Hz pulses || 440Hz is an "A" note. 7 pulses would be AAAAAAA
|-
| 37-Down || Audi luxury sports sedan || Third of three Audi references. The A6 is their executive car. Actually, the A7, their executive liftback sedan, would fit the prompt of "luxury sports sedan" better, but 37 Down only has room for six As.
|-
| 38-Down || A half-dozen eggs with reasonably firm yolks || Eggs can be [https://www.saudereggs.com/blog/egg-grading-system/ "graded on a veriety if aspects"], with grades B, A, or AA. Eggs with a reasonably firm yolk are graded A, so having halve a dozen of them gives you AAAAAA eggs.
|-
| 39-Down || 2-2-2-2-2-2 on a multitap phone keypad || A [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-tap "multitap keyboard"] is a text entry system for mobile phones. Most numbers are associated with three letters, and tapping the same number multiple times in rapid succession selects the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd number. 2 is "a", 22 is "b", 222 is "c", 3 is "d", etc. 2-2-2-2-2-2 translates to "aaaaaa"
|-
| 40-Down || .- .- .- .- .- .- || .- is Morse Code for A. It reads out as AAAAAA
|-
| 42-Down || Rating for china’s best tourist attractions ||
|-
| 43-Down || Standard drumstick size || 5A is a common, middle-range size for drumsticks. Here, it's written as AAAAA.
|-
| 45-Down || “The rain/in Spain/falls main-/ly on the plain” rhyme scheme || AAAA rhyme scheme means each line ends with the same sounds
|-
| Title text || Term for someone with a competitive and high-achieving personality || Type A
|}

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

:[A crossword puzzle image, with the following clues:]

:Across
:1. Famous Pvt. Wilhelm quote
:11. IPv6 address record
:15. "CIPHERTEXT" decrypted with Vigenère key "CIPHERTEXT"
:16. 8mm diameter battery
:17. "Warthog" attack aircraft
:18. Every third letter in the word for "inability to visualize"
:19. An acrostic hidden on the first page of the dictionary
:21. Default paper size in Europe
:22. First four unary strings
:23. Lysine codon
:24. 40 CFR Part 63 subpart concerning asphalt pollution
:25. Top bond credit rating
:26. Audi coupe
:27. A pair of small remote batteries, when inserted
:29. Unofficial Howard Dean slogan
:32. A 4.0 report card
:33. The "Harlem Globetrotters of baseball" (vowels only)
:34. 2018 Kiefer song
:35. Top Minor League tier
:36. Reply elicited by a dentist
:38. ANAA's airport
:41. Macaulay Culkin's review of aftershave
:43. Marketing agency trade grp.
:44. Soaring climax of Linda Elder's ''Man of La Mancha''
:46. Military flight community org.
:47. Iconic line from ''Tarzan''
:48. Every other letter of Jimmy Wales's birth state
:49. Warthog's postscript after "They call me ''mister'' pig!"
:50. Message to Elsa in ''Frozen 2''
:51. Lola, when betting it all on Black 20 in ''Run Lola Run''
:Down
:1. Game featuring "a reckless disregard for gravity"
:2. 1010101010101010101010102->16
:3. Google phone released July '22
:4. It's five times better than that ''other'' steak sauce
:5. ToHex(43690)
:6. Freddie Mercury lyric from ''Under Pressure''
:7. Full-size Audi luxury sedan
:8. Fast path through a multiple choice marketing survey
:9. 12356631 in base 26
:10. Viral Jimmy Barnes chorus
:11. Ruby Rhod catchphrase
:12. badbeef + 9efcebbb
:13. In Wet Let's ''Ur Mum'', what the singer has been practicing
:14. Refrain from Nora Reed bot
:20. Mario button presses to ascend Minas Tirith's walls
:24. Vermont historic route north from Bennington
:26. High-budget video game
:28. Unorthodox Tic-Tac-Toe win
:29. String whose SHA-256 hash ends "...689510285e212385"
:30. Arnold's remark to the Predator
:31. The vowels in the fire salamander's binomial name
:32. Janet Leigh ''Psycho'' line
:34. Seven 440Hz pulses
:37. Audi luxury sports sedan
:38. A half-dozen eggs with reasonably firm yolks
:39. 2-2-2-2-2-2 on a multitap phone keypad
:40. .- .- .- .- .- .-
:42. Rating for China's best tourist attractions
:43. Standard drumstick size
:45. "The rain/in Spain/falls main-/ly on the plain" rhyme scheme

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Language]]

2840: Earth Layers

2023-10-11T19:38:45Z

108.162.237.81: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2840
| date = October 11, 2023
| title = Earth Layers
| image = earth_layers_2x.png
| imagesize = 585x627px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = The Earth's magnetic field is primarily generated by currents in the liquid outer core, though some geophysicists argue that an unexplained mismatch with models suggests that the Kinder toy contains a magnet.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a KINDER SURPRISE - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic reimagines the internal structure of the earth.

{| class="wikitable"
! Layer
! scope="col"| Explanation
|-
! scope="row"| Lithosphere/Crust (50/50 Blend)
| The {{w|lithosphere}} is different from the {{w|crust}}.
|
|-
! scope="row"| Upper Mantle
|
|
|-
! scope="row"| Deep Mantle
|
|
|-
! scope="row"| Filler
|
|
|-
! scope="row"| Vitreous Humor
|{{w|Vitreous body}} is the transparent gel inside the eye, located between the lens and the retina.
|
|-
! scope="row"| Mechanical/HVAC Layer
|
|
|-
! scope=“row”| Guacamole
| {{w|Guacamole}} is a sauce made from avocados. Originating in the Mayan Empire, It often includes onions, tomatoes, and spices. Notably, avocados feature three distinct layers - a hard outer peel, the soft flesh, and a hard seed "core". This somewhat resembles the structure of the Earth.
|-
! scope="row"| Cytoplasm
|{{w|Cytoplasm}} is the "flesh" of a eukaryotic cell; everything surrounding the nucleus.
|
|-
! scope="row"| Cork
|Due to the proximity of the cork layer and the insulation layer, this may possibly be referencing cork-lined walls, which while not the most popular choice for wall lining, does have [https://www.jstor.org/stable/27135713 a considerable history].
|
|-
! scope="row"| Insulation
|Probably a reference to the {{w|building insulation}} installed in the walls and ceilings of buildings.
|
|-
! scope="row"| Seeds
|Part of a fruit.
|
|-
! scope="row"| Pith
|Part of a fruit.
|
|-
! scope="row"| Nougat
|{{w|Nougat}} is a family of confections made with sugar or honey, roasted nuts, whipped egg whites, and sometimes chopped candied fruit.
|
|-
! scope="row"| Outer Core
|
|
|-
! scope="row"| Inner Core
|
|
|-
! scope="row"| Secret Core
|
|
|-
! scope="row"| Kinder Toy Capsule
|
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:The layers of the Earth

:Lithosphere/crust (50/50 blend)
:Upper mantle
:Deep mantle
:Filler
:Vitreous humor
:Mechanical/HVAC layer
:Guacamole
:Cytoplasm
:Cork
:Insulation
:Seeds
:Pith
:Nougat
:Outer core
:Inner core
:Secret core
:Kinder toy capsule

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Geology]]

2840: Earth Layers

2023-10-11T19:35:50Z

108.162.237.81: /* Cytoplasm */

{{comic
| number = 2840
| date = October 11, 2023
| title = Earth Layers
| image = earth_layers_2x.png
| imagesize = 585x627px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = The Earth's magnetic field is primarily generated by currents in the liquid outer core, though some geophysicists argue that an unexplained mismatch with models suggests that the Kinder toy contains a magnet.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a KINDER SURPRISE - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic reimagines the internal structure of the earth.

{| class="wikitable"
! Layer
! scope="col"| Explanation
|-
! scope="row"| Lithosphere/Crust (50/50 Blend)
| The {{w|lithosphere}} is different from the {{w|crust}}.
|
|-
! scope=“row”| Guacamole
| {{w|Guacamole}} is a sauce made from avocados. Originating in the Mayan Empire, It often includes onions, tomatoes, and spices.
|-
! scope="row"| Vitreous Humor
|{{w|Vitreous body}} is the transparent gel inside the eye, located between the lens and the retina.
|
|-
! scope="row"| Cytoplasm
|{{w|Cytoplasm}} is the "flesh" of a eukaryotic cell; everything surrounding the nucleus.
|
|-
! scope="row"| Cork
|Due to the proximity of the cork layer and the insulation layer, this may possibly be referencing cork-lined walls, which while not the most popular choice for wall lining, does have [https://www.jstor.org/stable/27135713 a considerable history].
|
|-
! scope="row"| Insulation
|Probably a reference to the {{w|building insulation}} installed in the walls and ceilings of buildings.
|
|-
! scope="row"| Seeds
|Part of a fruit.
|
|-
! scope="row"| Pith
|Part of a fruit.
|
|-
! scope="row"| Nougat
|{{w|Nougat}} is a family of confections made with sugar or honey, roasted nuts, whipped egg whites, and sometimes chopped candied fruit.
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:The layers of the Earth

:Lithosphere/crust (50/50 blend)
:Upper mantle
:Deep mantle
:Filler
:Vitreous humor
:Mechanical/HVAC layer
:Guacamole
:Cytoplasm
:Cork
:Insulation
:Seeds
:Pith
:Nougat
:Outer core
:Inner core
:Secret core
:Kinder toy capsule

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Geology]]

Talk:1596: Launch Status Check

2015-10-29T02:36:56Z

108.162.237.81:

Looks like a Falcon Heavy to me. :) So I guess the bird is some kind of falcon. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.34.147|162.158.34.147]] 08:21, 28 October 2015 (UTC)
:Could it be related to this? [http://spaceflightnow.com/2015/07/21/first-flight-of-falcon-heavy-delayed-again First flight of Falcon Heavy delayed again.] [[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.121|108.162.229.121]] 10:04, 28 October 2015 (UTC)

If I recall correctly, during rocket launches they use visual inspection to ensure nothing is close to the launch vehicle. I don't know if large birds are an issue for a rocket, but I can well imagine they are. In classical XKCD fashion the characters totally go overboard on that tangent. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.160|162.158.91.160]] 08:26, 28 October 2015 (UTC)

:Rockets generally produces lot of noise and hot gasses. I doubt any bird is stupid enough to stay around THAT. Also, there is no air intake on rockets - it's hitting the air intake of motors which is dangerous to aircraft. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 14:17, 28 October 2015 (UTC)
::Birds have damaged aircraft windscreens. I believe the bipod ramp that brought down Columbia was smaller than a large bird. It's not at all clear that a bird will be able to take evasive action. Rockets accelerate hard, and a birds normal collision avoidance is to dive, which doesn't help when a rocket is headed straight up.
::Also, Cape Canaveral is a bird sanctuary that actually houses eagles and hawks. So this is a VERY realistic situation. And that's not gas you see, its superheated water. The more you know.
http://www.fws.gov/refuges/profiles/index.cfm?id=41570 [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.81|108.162.237.81]] 02:36, 29 October 2015 (UTC)

Unrelated: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/behindscenes/roadkill_prt.htm --[[Special:Contributions/198.41.235.101|198.41.235.101]] 20:29, 28 October 2015 (UTC)

It could be a reference to "The Martian" where a bird flies into view on the Live Feed as they are about to launch the supply probe. It later fails when it tries to go sideways. [[User:RIIW - Ponder it|RIIW - Ponder it]] ([[User talk:RIIW - Ponder it|talk]]) 10:35, 28 October 2015 (UTC)
:Reference and coincidence are not synonyms. '''reference:''' a thing you say or write that mentions somebody/something else [http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/reference_1]. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.17|108.162.221.17]] 15:19, 28 October 2015 (UTC)

I changed the transcript a little - it's clear from the comic that there are at least four people involved, as opposed to a back-and-forth between two people.[[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.29|173.245.53.29]] 17:00, 28 October 2015 (UTC)

Ah... the person who discretely (and/or discreetly!) added the link the Atlas V, regarding the rocket profile, I think you've nailed it. Looks very much more like the New Horizons launch stack than any of the alternatives I've so far reviewed. (I checked Atlas V, when looking around, but must have missed the half-height double-booster-set/large-shroud picture further down that page. For better comparison: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:NewHorizons_Rocket_Bly.jpg ) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.75.185|141.101.75.185]] 18:04, 28 October 2015 (UTC)

I'm sorry, but what exactly does Randall's drawing having a resemblance to a type of real-life rocket have anything to do with the point of the comic? The comic is more centered on the foolishness of Ground Control then what kind of rocket is being used. Or maybe it's that very same Ground Control writing the explanation and getting distracted so easily ( ._.)..... [[User:Schiffy|Schiffy]] ([[User_talk:Schiffy|Speak to me]]|[[Special:Contributions/Schiffy|What I've done]]) 23:27, 28 October 2015 (UTC)

Let us not forget the brouhaha over Space Frog ([http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/nasa-rocket-launch-accidentally-lifts-frog-space/story?id=20237426 ABC News Coverage]) and Space Bat ([http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts119/launchbat.html NASA Press Release]). Twitter exploded over Space Frog. --[[User:Run, you clever boy|Run, you clever boy]] ([[User talk:Run, you clever boy|talk]]) 00:28, 29 October 2015 (UTC)

Talk:1593: Play-By-Play

2015-10-21T15:11:10Z

108.162.237.81:

First!
Sorry. On a more serious note, is "how rude" a reference to the ugly guy on the first Star Wars? I'm sleepy and can't think well. [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 05:41, 21 October 2015 (UTC)
:I strongly doubt it, since this is a completely unrelated topic to Star Wars [[Special:Contributions/162.158.38.231|162.158.38.231]] 06:07, 21 October 2015 (UTC)
:Also, the comic doesn't even include the phrase "how rude"... [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.161|108.162.250.161]] 06:11, 21 October 2015 (UTC)

;Simple Words

Could someone check if this is an instance of Randall Munroe doing a comic using only the 1000 most commonly used words? It looks like it might be. {{unsigned ip|108.162.218.197}}

:Nope! Lots of difficult words like "Wow" and "shelves" and "teammates" {{unsigned ip|198.41.235.59}}
::Yes should this even be references in the trivia. I vote for deleting the trivia, as I do not see this as an example of Beret Guy trying to speak simple, he just uses other words because he do not know the baseball version for these. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:50, 21 October 2015 (UTC)

:I put the transcript and title text into Randall's word checker and came up with eleven words that didn't make the cut (twelve if you count all forms of a word separately): "bat", "shelves", "wow", "rude", "teammates", "pillow", "rules", "yikes", "hopefully", ("bats",) "king", and "jail". --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.218.65|108.162.218.65]] 12:47, 21 October 2015 (UTC)

;Surreal

I do not see this as surreal at all. His description is spot on, assuming that he knows nothing about the game.--[[Special:Contributions/141.101.79.73|141.101.79.73]] 06:32, 21 October 2015 (UTC)

What's surreal is the (somewhat implausible) scenario where someone who knows nothing about baseball (or softball, I suppose. Or sport...) whould be commentating on a game.[[User:ChrisBedford|ChrisBedford]] ([[User talk:ChrisBedford|talk]]) 06:46, 21 October 2015 (UTC)
: That's not surreal. That's ironic. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.81|108.162.237.81]] 15:11, 21 October 2015 (UTC)
;Pillow

Why is beret guy talking about a pillow? [[Special:Contributions/173.245.49.125|173.245.49.125]] 07:12, 21 October 2015 (UTC)

:I read it as a reference to the points on the field (“bases”?) that the runner has to go around. The ones that are used as [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baseball_metaphors_for_sex a euphemism for touching genitalia]. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.236|141.101.104.236]] 07:19, 21 October 2015 (UTC)
::See [[540: Base System]]! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:50, 21 October 2015 (UTC)
: Historically, the bases were made from stuffed fabric, they were essentially pillows.[[User:Tverma|Tverma]] ([[User talk:Tverma|talk]]) 08:15, 21 October 2015 (UTC)

;Baseball and cricket

Not being American, and never having watched a game of baseball in my life, this sounds like pretty much the way I would see baseball. Americans can get the same effect by watching a game of cricket. [[User:GreenWyvern|GreenWyvern]] ([[User talk:GreenWyvern|talk]]) 07:28, 21 October 2015 (UTC)
:Until he said "second pillow" I wasn't sure if it was commentary on baseball or cricket.[[User:Tverma|Tverma]] ([[User talk:Tverma|talk]]) 08:05, 21 October 2015 (UTC)
::Agreed, when you never have watched a full game of baseball even the explanation above is not enough to understand the rules and events he is talking about. So spot on ;-) We only play this in early school as we think it is a kids game (probably like many Americans consider soccer?) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:50, 21 October 2015 (UTC)
:::And just like the football/'soccer' difference in naming local variants in Association Football, our baseball is generally called 'rounders'. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.75.185|141.101.75.185]] 13:21, 21 October 2015 (UTC)

:While the description of the game might match someone who never saw any baseball, the failure to identify cheering and heckling suggest he never saw ANY game nor other sport event, which seems improbable. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 12:25, 21 October 2015 (UTC)
::Although not for Beret Guy! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:50, 21 October 2015 (UTC)

== Variant games ==

It might be interesting to mention which comments by the Beret Guy lead to the elimination of other ball and bat games, especially when only a single comment does so. For instance, it looks like the description of the game would also fit [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pes%C3%A4pallo pesäpallo], a Finnish ball and bat game, save that in that game you don't throw the ball at the batter. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.164|173.245.54.164]] 13:37, 21 October 2015 (UTC)

56: The Cure

2015-10-20T01:35:32Z

108.162.237.81:

{{comic
| number = 56
| date = January 30, 2006
| title = The Cure
| image = the_cure.jpg
| titletext = My first try at drawing a real face in years.
}}

==Explanation==
The "real face" is that of {{w|Robert Smith (musician)|Robert Smith}}, best know as the singer of the musical group {{w|The Cure}}.

The joke in this comic is very simple: When Robert would sing the above lines of {{w|Coldplay|Coldplay}}'s song "{{w|Clocks_(song)|Clocks}}", fans of his music would know the answer: he's part of The Cure.

==Transcript==
:[A charcoal drawing of Robert Smith's head and face, with a caption underneath.]
:Robert Smith should do a cover of
:Coldplay's ''Clocks,'' so when he sings
:"Am I part of the cure or am I part of the disease?"
:we can say, "Ooh, we know this one!"

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Music]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]

56: The Cure

2015-10-20T01:32:44Z

108.162.237.81: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 56
| date = January 30, 2006
| title = The Cure
| image = the_cure.jpg
| titletext = My first try at drawing a real face in years.
}}

'''Bold text'''==Explanation==
The "real face" is that of {{w|Robert Smith (musician)|Robert Smith}}, best know as the singer of the musical group {{w|The Cure}}.

The joke in this comic is very simple: When Robert would sing the above lines of {{w|Coldplay|Coldplay}}'s song "{{w|Clocks_Song|Clocks}}", fans of his music would know the answer: he's part of The Cure.

==Transcript==
:[A charcoal drawing of Robert Smith's head and face, with a caption underneath.]
:Robert Smith should do a cover of
:Coldplay's ''Clocks,'' so when he sings
:"Am I part of the cure or am I part of the disease?"
:we can say, "Ooh, we know this one!"

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Music]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]