explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:2165: Millennials

2019-06-21T01:18:48Z

108.162.249.106:

I never understand the american obsession with naming generations, and it deeply confuses me. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 14:22, 19 June 2019 (UTC)
:You're calling it an American obsession, but I've never been obsessed with it myself. Instead, I suspect it's an American media obsession, and I'd prefer not to be associated with them. [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 14:46, 19 June 2019 (UTC)
::Indeed, the idea of naming generations is primarily a media phenomenon, and none of the generation names more recent than the Baby Boomers have taken hold as strongly as "Baby Boomers" did. --[[Special:Contributions/172.69.90.34|172.69.90.34]] 15:25, 19 June 2019 (UTC)
::: There are a couple different things that create the obsession. First is a 19th century and early 20th century [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_generations European sociological theory]. The notion of a particular cohort being different from others really became popular after the First World War when people started talking about the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_Generation Lost Generation] (also mostly a European thing). In that case it referred to a cohort which really had gone through some very unique experiences (a huge chunk of the world's population of a certain age died either as a result of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I_casualties the First World War] (which included a few genocides) or from the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_flu influenza pandemic] and all sorts of trauma was experienced by the survivors). This in turn inspired a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strauss%E2%80%93Howe_generational_theory famous theory] that there is a grand cyclical pattern to generations in American history. Combine the (pretty obvious) theory that living through a major war or disease pandemic will affect a generation (see also the post-WWII baby boom) with the (thoroughly-discredited-but-still-popular-in-America) idea of generational cycles and you end up with an ongoing tendency to name, define, and redefine the boundaries of distinct "generations" and to describe them will all sorts of sweeping generalizations.[[Special:Contributions/172.69.170.28|172.69.170.28]] 18:33, 19 June 2019 (UTC)

This is very similar to comic https://xkcd.com/973/ in which White Hat criticizes a different generation. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.160.134|172.69.160.134]] 15:03, 19 June 2019 (UTC)

I was under the impression that 'millenials' were those born in the 90s, in between gen y and gen z. I think there is a 'slight' trend that my generation has trouble 'growing up' even as adults. Many friends, if they haven't had kids they might still be living at home. Some even have kids and are still living with their parents. Myself, I don't see why a family structure couldn't work that way and still be healthy, I think the 'issue' comes from the older generations trying to keep the societal norms steady, and in the 1950s, when a boy turned 18 he became a 'man' and was promptly kicked out of the house, like a bird from a nest, or something like that... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.58.75|162.158.58.75]] 15:05, 19 June 2019 (UTC) Sam
:Yes. Those that were born millennials were born in the '90s, but most millennials were recruited from other generations.[[Special:Contributions/172.69.170.88|172.69.170.88]] 16:31, 19 June 2019 (UTC)

In fairness to White Hat, one might plausibly assume from the word "millennial" that it was meant to refer to people born around the turn of the millennium, or people born in the current millennium which is still fairly new as millennia go. It's not obvious that a person born 18 or 19 years before the turn of the millennium ''is'' supposed to be a millennial, while a person born 1 year before or 1 year after the turn of the millennium isn't. --[[Special:Contributions/172.69.90.34|172.69.90.34]] 15:25, 19 June 2019 (UTC)
:As I understand it, the term was intended to refer to the generation that would enter adulthood around the beginning of the 21st century, rather than those born in it. But it's certainly easy to assume differently, if you don't remember that the term was around for more than a decade before the turn of the millenium (Wikipedia says it was coinced in 1987).[[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 19:28, 19 June 2019 (UTC)
:: It is meant to refer to everybody that was a teenager in millenial decade from 2000 to 2010, so from 19 years before 2000, to 13 years before 2010.. It is defined by their shared childhood/young adulthood.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.89.187|162.158.89.187]] 12:34, 20 June 2019 (UTC)

The title text begins with the word ''Ironically'', but is the statement really ironic? I think a more appropriate word might have been ''Frustratingly'' instead, but I wonder if his choice of words means something as well. [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 15:30, 19 June 2019 (UTC)
:Just to continue this thought, while Alanis Morissette is not a millennial herself, her song ''Ironic'' was released in 1995, just as the earliest millennials were about to enter their teen years. Not sure it means anything, but perhaps millennials have a part in perpetuating the misunderstanding of this word. [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 15:37, 19 June 2019 (UTC)
::In all fairness, in 1995, the only millennials were still babies. Those in their teens at the time wouldn't become millennials until much more recently.[[Special:Contributions/172.69.170.88|172.69.170.88]] 16:34, 19 June 2019 (UTC)
:::What? The current explanation states that the first millennials were born in 1982, making them 13 in 1995. Are you having the same problem as White Hat? [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 16:51, 19 June 2019 (UTC)
:::That's the CURRENT definition, not the original one. If the definition hasn't changed, then where did Gen Y go? When were they born? EDIT: Actually, I was mistaken, because a more recent definition has people born as early as 1980 defined as millennials. If you think I'm having the same problem as White Had, read what I wrote below.[[Special:Contributions/172.69.170.112|172.69.170.112]] 16:55, 19 June 2019 (UTC)
::::Millennial = Generation Y. I also remember being referred to as Gen Y, but at some point in the 2000s(?) the Millennial term replaced Gen Y. According to wiki, they're the same thing. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millennials [[Special:Contributions/172.68.38.46|172.68.38.46]] 12:38, 20 June 2019 (UTC)
:::Along those same lines (or perhaps perpendicular to them), I don't consider myself a Baby Boomer, despite my birth date. Ok, now that we've straightened that out, what about Randall's choice of ''Ironically'' in the title text? [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 17:06, 19 June 2019 (UTC)
:::I'm not that worried about people misusing the word, "ironic," as it's prety difficult to define any other way than example.[[Special:Contributions/172.69.170.22|172.69.170.22]] 17:08, 19 June 2019 (UTC)
::::It's ironic that the one word that could perfectly describe the concept of irony is so misunderstood. [[User:N0lqu|-boB]] ([[User talk:N0lqu|talk]]) 16:36, 20 June 2019 (UTC)
::::And isn't it ironic that the song "Ironic" mentioned above doesn't list real examples of ironic situations, but rather just coincidences and tidbits? (Answer: No, it isn't) [[User:N0lqu|-boB]] ([[User talk:N0lqu|talk]]) 16:42, 20 June 2019 (UTC)
:I think the irony might be drawn from Randall having spent 20 years complaining about people not growing and changing, showing a lack of growth and change in himself. [[User:CJB42|CJB42]] ([[User talk:CJB42|talk]]) 20:35, 20 June 2019 (UTC)
::::I think "ironically" is the correct choice of words here - he's pointing out the implicit irony in the fact that he's had the same conversation about people not growing and changing for more than a decade. How is that not ironic?

I have a theory that the definition creep of the word is an attempt to eliminate the generation gap (a failure to understand each other due to too large an age difference) and ageism in society in general. If we're all part of the same generation, then where can the prejudice be? If this is true, then I support it, and proudly call myself a millennial, even though I was not one when I was born.[[Special:Contributions/172.69.170.28|172.69.170.28]] 16:46, 19 June 2019 (UTC)

Being a millenial by that definition, I agree with white hat. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.111.91|162.158.111.91]] 10:05, 20 June 2019 (UTC)

Talk:180: Canada

2019-06-18T05:48:46Z

108.162.249.106: What I want to know is if u/International Space Station actually transferred?

Actually I suspect this comic may be referring to the propensity for video games in which you can create teams of characters which can be generally be respawned or come back to consciousness/life after levels/battles to have areas or levels where if someone is killed they die "for real"- that is they don't come back and you lose them for good. [[Special:Contributions/184.21.189.153|184.21.189.153]] 10:58, 21 September 2013 (UTC)

Couldn't this be a Matrix reference? 06:11, 1 December 2013 (UTC) {{unsigned ip|108.162.216.52}}

From the explanation: "Canada is arguably part of reality already." I would love to have that argument with someone. {{unsigned ip|108.162.219.202}}
:Canadians don't have arguments. They would either apologize for confusing you by existing, or smack you in the head with a hockey stick. Americans tend to forget the second possibility. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.69|162.158.255.69]] 14:08, 16 September 2015 (UTC)

I feel like adding some "dubious-discuss" after the first sentence of the explanation[[User:Meneldal|Meneldal]] ([[User talk:Meneldal|talk]]) 06:54, 11 March 2015 (UTC)meneldal

Sorry for Ninja-editing/commenting, but I take it as a direct reference to the works of Philip K. Dick, especially Ubik (iirc, that is it could also be one of his other VR-related stories), where a scene that could be summarized with 'if you die in canada, you die in real life' actually takes place (in canada). Then again, this could be lucky coincidence, and xkcd might not be familiar with PKD at all. {{unsigned ip|141.101.92.37}}

Addendum to the above (↑) it most certainly is a PKD reference, also taking his biography into account. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.92.58|141.101.92.58]] 05:24, 14 April 2015 (UTC)

We might also want to mention that making fun of Canada is basically a national pasttime in the U.S. [[User:Bbruzzo|Bbruzzo]] ([[User talk:Bbruzzo|talk]]) 14:36, 25 August 2015 (UTC)

My take: "I'll move to Canada," threat has the sub-text of implying that I'm a contributing member of society (at least in my own mind) and thus the country will lose if I, and others like me, were to depart (a fitting punishment to all those wrong-headed voters on the other side who sought to harness my contributions while forcing me to play by their rules). The second panel, however, comically establishes that the complainer is, basically, a loser: no money, no job, couldn't even finish his college degrees, and choose Art for a major -- the stereotypical major for those who put personal fulfillment above financial prudence. The third panel nails it in harder by implying the complainer is a video games addict -- not clearly delineating real and virtual lives -- further accentuating that he is *not* a productive member of society. [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 17:32, 19 September 2015 (UTC)

It is actually quite common for students to be somewhat divorced from reality. This tends to be more exaggerated for students of more abstract majors, i.e. art. (the reason partially being that young poeple with good understanding of the world tend to choose majors that lead to material waelth, which is the socially more accepted form of progression). The second panel implies that clueless is actually still a student.
The first panel also implies that clueless has difficulties finishing his degree. In some countries, with cheap or free education, the "eternal student" is actually somewhat of an epidemic. (in Japan for example Ronin refers to students that have difficulties getting through the entry exams, sometimes for several years)
It is also "known" that Students actually spend less time learning and more time playing computer games or consoles.
I feel strongly that the whole scenario refers to the eternal student, without understanding of the real world, playing computer games all day long, making "strong" statements.
It is near impossible to explain this as it requires extensive real world context. The closest approximation to a proper response, that can be understood by such people, is then indeed "you die in real life". {{unsigned ip|108.162.219.248}}

My favourite example of this kind of comment was during Obama's 2012 re-election, with someone stating that if Obama won they'd move to Australia "because their president is a Christian and actually supports what he says". Australia's Prime Minister at the time was a woman, an atheist, and often attacked for attempting to implement a "carbon tax" despite the fact that she said she wouldn't (shouldn't have made the promise in the first place, but whatever). So that's fun. -Pennpenn [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.162|108.162.250.162]] 02:54, 7 December 2015 (UTC)

I always find it funny how Trumptards say they'll move to Australia, or Canada, or something like that, if Bernie wins. And then you wonder if those brainless Nazis realize that in trying to "escape socialism" they're thinking of moving to even more socialistic countries. Also, like... "socialism." In other words, Scandanavian Capitalism. I love Bernie so much, don't get me wrong. But he's just barely a social democrat, not a democratic socialist (redundant term is redundant--socialism is inherently democratic). He's making people on all sides have the wrong idea of socialism. And real socialists and communists are like... we wish he's an actual socialist. Maybe then some real change will occur, haha. In any case, if Bernie loses, I'm transferring to a foreign school. I love Russia and while their economy may be somewhat trash now thanks to Putin, they do have some of the best colleges in the world. I'll beg to transfer on the basis of political refuge from that Nazi trying to become president. Honestly I probably won't "actually move" if Hillary wins, even though I hate her guts. But Trump and Cruz are the most batshit crazy candidates this country has seen in a LONG time. Cruz is scarier than Trump, but Trump's stupider and just oh god either of them will incite WWIII. I do NOT want to be here when the bombs fly. Literally. And as much as I will miss my home, and as much as I'll have to abandon my dream of being a CalTech professor, I do not want to come back. Ever. If Bernie loses, I'm certainly moving after my undergrad is over. If both Bernie and Hillary lose, I'm transferring immediately. [[User:International Space Station|International Space Station]] ([[User talk:International Space Station|talk]]) 18:59, 19 April 2016 (UTC)

I feel that it's important to note that in the US, pretending Canada doesn't exist is another national pastime. It's highly likely this is what the last frame is referencing. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.97|108.162.216.97]] 22:57, 21 July 2016 (UTC)

1782: Team Chat

2019-05-24T01:06:04Z

108.162.249.106:

{{comic
| number = 1782
| date = January 6, 2017
| title = Team Chat
| image = team_chat.png
| titletext = 2078: He announces that he's finally making the jump from screen+irssi to tmux+weechat.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Randall]] provides us with a – presumably anecdotal – montage of the Internet's changing attitude towards different instant messaging protocols, framed within the context of a team trying to remain in communication while tolerating each others' different tastes.

Although one-on-one "talk" programs date back to 1960s mainframes, {{w|Internet Relay Chat}} (IRC) was one of the first real-time group communication protocols, invented in 1988. While it remains the format on which most later apps were based, the convenience and accessibility of other protocols such as AIM and Skype gradually exceeded IRC in popularity. Many users took to the new environments, but others preferred the old and familiar, hence schisms between groups began to grow.

[https://www.skype.com Skype] and [https://slack.com Slack] are both proprietary centralized communication protocols (usually used through their official clients). Skype focuses mainly on voice communication, be it for personal or business use, and own installable client, while Slack relies almost entirely on text communication, focuses on work communication and works completely well in its own web client, even though official desktop and mobile clients are available as well. Slack also features a huge customizability (bots, plugins) possibly inspired by IRC, and its users need to create communication teams, working inside subdomains at *.slack.com. It is possible to connect to Slack via IRC as well, using a third party gateway (Originally, Slack had a [https://get.slack.help/hc/en-us/articles/201727913-Connect-to-Slack-over-IRC-and-XMPP gateway feature], if allowed by the team's admin, but that was turned off in mid 2018)

Randall here seems to be commenting on the persistence of IRC; while generally considered to be ancient software in comparison to newer and still-competing protocols, its endless customizability has led some people to support it above all others.

Extrapolating for the sake of humor, the joke here lies in a particularly uncommon but memorable type of Internet denizen: even in a far-off distant future where the world's technology has led to a superlative messaging network encompassing all people in some supposed, incredible bliss, there is always - in Randall's vision - going to be That IRC Guy. This might also be a reference to the scenarios in science fiction stories such as Isaac Asimov's {{w|Gaia_(Foundation_universe)#Galaxia|concept of Galaxia}} in the Foundation novels, or the concept of a merged human-computer intelligence as in The Last Question. [http://multivax.com/last_question.html], the concept of which is most notably highlighted by this line:

''[...] One by one Man fused with AC, each physical body losing its mental identity in a manner that was somehow not a loss but a gain. [...]''

In the title text, both {{w|GNU_Screen|screen}} and {{w|Tmux|tmux}} are unix programs that help you multitask while working in terminal, and {{w|Irssi|irssi}} and {{w|WeeChat|weechat}} are both communication clients supporting mainly IRC, capable of working in a terminal environment. Tmux is a newer and apparently more user-friendly project, complete with handy menus and titles, while screen is something of an industry standard, but relatively difficult to use – you need to know what you are doing or read help before use, otherwise you get lost and frustrated. [http://superuser.com/questions/236158/tmux-vs-screen] The same it is with the newer, more feature-packed and user-friendly weechat vs industry-standard, harder-to-use irssi. [https://www.quora.com/IRC-Which-do-you-prefer-irssi-or-weechat-and-why]

Basically, that ''one'' guy is a hardcore UNIX geek who doesn't use any graphical user interface, and in 2078 he still chooses to use terminal-emulation-based tools.

Timing of this strip follows the [https://irssi.org/2017/01/05/irssi-1.0.0-released/ release of irssi version 1.0.0].

Randall has touched on similar themes before in [[927: Standards]].

==Transcript==
:[Hairbun holding up her palm toward Cueball. A frame over the top border of the panel has a caption:]
:2004
:Hairbun: Our team stays in touch over IRC.

:[Megan is looking at Ponytail who is holding up her palm toward her. A frame over the top border of the panel has a caption:]
:2010
:Ponytail: Our team mainly uses Skype, but some of us prefer to stick to IRC.

:[Cueball is talking with Megan in a frameless panel. A frame at the top of the panel has a caption:]
:2017
:Cueball: We've got almost everyone on Slack,
:Cueball: But three people refuse to quit IRC and connect via Gateway.

:[A black panel with white text and drawings. The main body of text is above a the singularity, a starburst around a circle with two more broken lined circles around the starburst. To the right another Cueball-like guy floats in space with his laptop computer, typing on the keyboard. A frame, that is white inside, is over the top border of the panel has a caption: ]
:2051
:Narration: All consciousnesses have merged with the Galactic Singularity,
:Narration: Except for ''one'' guy who insists on joining through his IRC client.
:One Guy: I just have it set up the way I want, okay?!
:Galactic Singularity: ''*Sigh*''



{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Comics with inverted brightness]]
[[Category:Artificial Intelligence]]
[[Category:Computers]]
[[Category:Singularity]]

Talk:1939: 2016 Election Map

2018-01-09T06:46:40Z

108.162.249.106:

;Why now?

So why are we getting this map now instead of a year ago? Has something significant to this area just happened in the U.S.A.? (I am a Canadian so might well have missed something.)
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.154|108.162.216.154]] 16:42, 8 January 2018 (UTC)

I'm from the midwest in the US and I'm really confused as well... I also don't find anything particularly funny or poignant in this. So yeah, color me confused in the US. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.76|162.158.75.76]] 16:52, 8 January 2018 (UTC) Sam

: At a guess, because we're coming up on the anniversary of Trump's inauguration. [[User:Wwoods|Wwoods]] ([[User talk:Wwoods|talk]]) 23:26, 8 January 2018 (UTC)

I think the idea is that this map, while interesting as an object, still sort of fails as a map - it doesn't provide the sort of easily digestible information that a map of this variety is supposed to show. Conceptually, I don't think it's that different than #1138 (Heatmap) - the map more or less shows population density and fails to easily communicate party alignment. As to why it's showing up in the first year of 2018, my best guess is that mid-term elections are this year...? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.69.238|172.69.69.238]]

My friend I showed the comic to thinks it could be a general political commentary on the uselessness of these kinds of maps. 1. the map is a year old: useless. 2. there are no numbers: useless. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.76|162.158.75.76]] 17:04, 8 January 2018 (UTC) Sam.

I'm wondering if it has to do with the fact that [https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/03/us/politics/trump-voter-fraud-commission.html Trump just disbanded the commission on voter fraud]. I think I heard somewhere that this commission was to "prove why Trump should have won the popular vote". I think the map relates to the whole popular vote versus electoral college discussion.--[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.172|108.162.216.172]] 17:17, 8 January 2018 (UTC)

I think it might be claiming Trump only won because very many people failed to vote? Either that, or as already mentioned, it's about how useless these maps can be. [[User:Jacky720|That's right, Jacky720 just signed this]] ([[User talk:Jacky720|talk]] | [[Special:Contributions/Jacky720|contribs]]) 17:20, 8 January 2018 (UTC)

The point of the map is that the standard choropleth map for the 2016 election shows the vast majority of us area voting for Donald Trump. (shown on this link http://brilliantmaps.com/2016-county-election-map/) The comic is criticizing the visual accuracy of chloropleth maps in giving a strong understanding of election results (as the majority of voters voted for Hillary). ---- {{unsigned| Widea}}

If this map is really so correct (as stated in the caption) then it has been a huge job to collect the data so precisely and calculate how to split voters across borders when not fitting. This says to me that this is a very big issue for Randall. Of course he has made it clear many times that he is [[1756: I'm With Her|against Trumps election]] and more or less [[1756:_I'm_With_Her#Sad_comics|anything he does]]... I believe there is a lot to learn from this map as opposed to those he mentions in the title text --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:33, 8 January 2018 (UTC)

If this map is correct, then there are 252 Trump guys on it and 263 Clinton guys on it, a difference of 11 guys. I don't know how many "other" guys are on it. Just in case someone would like to know. [[Special:Contributions/198.41.230.4|198.41.230.4]] 20:13, 8 January 2018 (UTC)

One thing that the map does clearly show is that voters of Clinton were clustered in heavily urbanized regions (New England to Delmarva, Miami region, Chicago region, Houston and Austin, and coastal California in particular). Those same Clinton clusters are also home to the most third-party voters. Meanwhile, Trump voters were spread out more evenly and in isolated pockets, and there are very few third-party voters living out in the boonies.
I think the takeaway is that Democratic voters are underrepresented because they are grouped so closely together, and those same populations are also prone to giving rise to anti-two-party sentiment. These two factors combined work against liberalist movements in the United States. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.225|162.158.74.225]] 20:23, 8 January 2018 (UTC)

I never realized until now just how few people live in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.46|108.162.241.46]] 20:25, 8 January 2018 (UTC)

I also think Randal needs a lesson in rural/urban voting, as the placement of many of the red figures on this map are, well, a bit off.[[User:Seebert|Seebert]] ([[User talk:Seebert|talk]]) 22:46, 8 January 2018 (UTC)

The claim about Trump being "obsessed" with how red the map appears seems to just be added to be inflammatory. As far as I know, he just gloated about the map a bit on Twitter on the days following his election. He definitely hasn't kept sharing red maps one year later like Randall, and I think we don't consider Randall obsessed. I'm removing it, and I'd rather this not be added back without a source that clearly shows such an obsession. [01000101] [[Special:Contributions/172.68.25.112|172.68.25.112]] 21:13, 8 January 2018 (UTC)

I count 31 "Green" folks, in addition to whoever counted the red and blues. That means our total is 546 little stick figures. I'm not sure why he picked that number, but it could be the correct number of folks to stick one on the small states of Alaska, Hawiaii, Wyoming, and the Dakotas. He also took the unusual step of counting VOTES instead of population. It'd be fun to have a version with non-voters on it.

I think Randall has always been a map enthusiast. I read this as an alternative map. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.28|108.162.237.28]] 21:54, 8 January 2018 (UTC)

;136,669,237 votes in 2016
To all the guys who are counting the Cueballs in the map: 546 Cueballs multiplied by 250,000 is 136,500,000 votes.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:07, 8 January 2018 (UTC)

My count agrees. Red = 252, Blue = 263, Green = 31 [[User:Ansarya|Ansarya]] ([[User talk:Ansarya|talk]]) 00:48, 9 January 2018 (UTC)

The title text is probably referring to this map on wikipedia:[https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cartlinearlarge.png] [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.106|108.162.249.106]] 06:46, 9 January 2018 (UTC)

1928: Seven Years

2017-12-14T23:46:16Z

108.162.249.106:

{{comic
| number = 1928
| date = December 13, 2017
| title = Seven Years
| image = seven_years.png
| titletext = [hair in face] "SEVVVENNN YEEEARRRSSS"
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|May require explaining the activities shown, as in the explanation for [[1141: Two Years]].}}
[[Randall]]'s wife was diagnosed with cancer in late 2010, a matter he has discussed in the comic [[:Category:Cancer|multiple times before]]. Here, motivated by the seven-year period between the American solar eclipses of {{w|Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017|2017}} and {{w|Solar eclipse of April 8, 2024|2024}}, we see them reminiscing the seven years prior to the first eclipse, leaving an open question to what the next seven years will bring.

The title text is most likely a continuation to panel 15 concerning hair regrowth, in which she references the horror movie ''The Ring''. "The little girl from ''The Ring''" refers to {{w|Sadako Yamamura}}, the antagonist of the {{w|Ring (novel series)|''Ring'' series}} by {{w|Koji Suzuki}}, and popularized in a {{w|The Ring (2002 film)|2002 movie}}. Specifically, watching the video tape in The Ring is supposed to kill a person in seven days, but the title text instead says "seven years".

This comic is a continuation of [[1141: Two Years]], which is shown as the first eight panels, slightly grayed out.

Some explanations:

*Panels 1–8: See [[1141: Two Years]]
*Panel 9: Randall and Randall's wife (with her hair noticably longer) are walking through a forest.
*Panel 10: Randall's wife is sitting down, not in the forest anymore. She is concerned because she has pain in her toe and worries that this is an early sign of her cancer spreading again. Randall points out the simpler explanation- that she stubbed her toe the previous day, and the pain is likely a result of that. This panel shows the paranoia that comes from cancer remission, as earlier explained in [[931: Lanes]].
*Panel 11: Randall and his wife are going spelunking. The guide is gesturing deeper into the cave while Randall and his wife are climbing down.
*Panel 12: Randall's wife stands on a rock above an alligator in a swamp, photographing the alligator. Randall is on a balcony behind safety railings.
*Panel 13: Randall's wife sits on an examination bed, listening to a doctor holding a clipboard. The doctor talks about an issue which is "probably nothing" but ''might'' be the cancer -- again showing the paranoia that comes with cancer.
*Panel 14: Randall and his wife stand above a deep pond full of fish and other objects. Randall's wife is piloting a wired underwater camera with lights. Randall shared pictures of his [https://blog.xkcd.com/2010/11/05/submarines/ underwater ROV] before.
*Panel 15: Randall and his wife are standing next to each other. Randall's wife has shoulder-length hair covering most of her face.
*Panel 16: A line of six people, including Randall and his wife, stand and watch the solar eclipse.
*Panel 17: The sky has been brightened.
*Panel 18: Randall and his wife are walking together and holding hands.
*Panel 19: Still walking, Randall and his wife think together about a timeline. Seven years have passed since 2010, represented with a solid line from the past to 2017; seven years in the future will be 2024, represented with a dotted line into the future and surrounded by three question marks.
*Panel 20: The pair keeps walking, being optimistic.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[The first eight panels, used earlier in the comic 1141: Two Years, are in gray color.]

:[Randall and Randall's fiancée sit on a bed, Randall's fiancée is talking on the phone. The person she is talking to, a doctor holding a clipboard, is shown inset.]
:Randall's fiancée: Oh god.

:[Randall and Randall's fiancée sit together while Randall's fiancée, now bald, is receiving chemotherapy. They are both on their laptops.]
:IV pump: ... Beeep ... Beeep ... Beeep ...

:[Randall and Randall's fiancée (who is wearing a knit cap) are paddling a kayak against a scenic mountain backdrop.]

:[Randall and Randall's fiancée sit at a table, staring at a cell phone. There is a clock on the wall. Her head is stubbly.]
:Randall's fiancée: How long can it take to read a scan!?

:[Randall and Randall's fiancée are back at the hospital again, Randall's fiancée receiving chemo. They are playing Scrabble.]
:Randall: "Zarg" isn't a word.
:Randall's fiancée: But ''caaaancer.''
:Randall: ...Ok, fine.

:[Randall and Randall's fiancée (wearing a knit cap) are listening to a Cueball-like friend. A large thought bubble is above their heads and it obscures the friends talk. The text below, split in three is the only part there can be no doubt about:]
:Friend: So next year you should come visit us up in the mounta
::a
::and
:Randall and Randall's fiancée (thinking): '''"Next year"'''

:[Randall and Randall's fiancée are getting married, with a heart above their heads. Randall's wife's hair is growing back.]

:[Randall and Randall's wife (wearing a knit cap) stand on a beach, watching a whale jump out of water. This is the last gray panel, with an additional label in normal black color.]
:''Fwoosh''
:Label: Two years

:[Randall and Randall's wife (with her hair noticably longer) are walking through a forest.]

:[Randall's wife is sitting down, not in the forest anymore.]
:Randall's wife: My toe hurts and I found a report of a case in which toe pain was an early sign of cancer spreading.
:Randall: Wait—didn’t you stub your toe yesterday?
:Randall's wife: Yes, but what if this is unrelated?

:[Randall and his wife are going spelunking. The guide is gesturing deeper into the cave while Randall and his wife are climbing down.]

:[Randall's wife stands on a rock above an alligator in a swamp, photographing the alligator. Randall is on a balcony behind safety railings.]
:Randall: When they estimated your survival odds, I think they made some optimistic assumptions about your hobbies.

:[Randall's wife sits on an examination bed, listening to a doctor holding a clipboard.]
:Doctor: This is probably nothing.
:Doctor: But given your history, we should do a full scan.
:Doctor: We'll call with the results in a few days. Try not to worry about it until then!

:[Randall and his wife stand above a deep pond full of fish and other objects. Randall's wife is piloting a wired underwater camera with lights.]

:[Randall and his wife are standing next to each other. Randall's wife has shoulder-length hair covering most of her face.]
:Randall's wife: Hard to believe—six years ago, I was bald. But today, after a long struggle, I finally look like the little girl from ''The Ring''.
:Randall: That's, uhh... good?
:Randall's wife: ''Hissssss''

:[A line of six people, including Randall and his wife, stand and watch the solar eclipse.]

:[The sky has been brightened.]
:Figure with blonde hair: ''Wow.''
:Randall's wife: Yeah.

:[Randall and his wife are walking together and holding hands.]
:Randall's wife: That was incredible.
:Randall's wife: When's the next one?
:Randall: In seven years.
:Randall: Wanna go see it?

:[Still walking, Randall and his wife think together about a timeline. Seven years have passed since 2010, represented with a solid line from the past to 2017; seven years in the future will be 2024, represented with a dotted line into the future and surrounded by three question marks.]

:[The pair keeps walking.]
:Randall's wife: Yeah.
:Randall's wife: I'll do my best.
:Randall: It's a date!

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Randall Munroe]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Cancer]]
[[Category:Romance]]
[[Category:Total Solar Eclipse 2017]]

Talk:1909: Digital Resource Lifespan

2017-10-31T05:07:44Z

108.162.249.106: describe some LoC standards for data preservation.

Even PDFs can be broken, which is why we have PDF/A (archive) - a subset of PDF that has no external dependencies and thus should last forever.

'''CD scratched, new computer has no CD drive anyway.''' - First, you can still buy external CD-ROM drive, for example connected via USB cable. Second, you can try recover data from scratched CD with tools such as ddrescue (free and OSS) or IsoBuster (shareware). --[[User:JakubNarebski|JakubNarebski]] ([[User talk:JakubNarebski|talk]]) 17:51, 30 October 2017 (UTC)

: Scratches on the DATA layer of any optical disk destroys that DATA. There is also the consideration that the plastics of the majority of optical disks degrade with time and heat. There are some optical media that are designed to prevent such scratching or corruption like the commercially available M-Disk or laser etching into a micro format into a crystal like a 5D disk. Even then the DATA stored must be in an ISO format to read as well as the equipment to read the media needs to be maintained. I have often told people that their data is never safe unless there is a constant effort to copy, check for quality, and make multiple backups using multiple modern mediums as often as humanly possible. All form of digital media can fail, even the extended warranty on a high end HDD will not cover the data lost and most EULAs for cloud storage will say the same.

:Or cheaper than an external drive, borrow a friend's computer and copy the CD onto the cloud somewhere. --[[User:Angel|Angel]] ([[User talk:Angel|talk]]) 18:39, 30 October 2017 (UTC)

: Yet something affected by that would just as likely be affected by "Broken on new OS, not updated". For example, I've got a multimedia encyclopedia which runs on Win 3.11, and thus can't run on 64-bit windows.

Interestingly, static .PDF files are intended to be electronic equivalents of printed books - an electronic microfiche if you will [[User:RIIW - Ponder it|RIIW - Ponder it]] ([[User talk:RIIW - Ponder it|talk]]) 18:57, 30 October 2017 (UTC)

I'm wondering if data on an older, static, website would still be readable. Would likely still be there (or on archive.org), but might be suffering progressive link rot. Also a little surprised that the start of microfilm is so recent; I remember the library having microfilm readers (that nobody ever used) when I was young enough to spend ages staring at a machine, trying to determine its purpose. Guess it depends on the subject, when it was put into that format. --[[User:Angel|Angel]] ([[User talk:Angel|talk]]) 18:39, 30 October 2017 (UTC)

Angel, note both the My in the title and the left arrow implying that the resource (like books) were about before Randal had access. [[User:RIIW - Ponder it|RIIW - Ponder it]] ([[User talk:RIIW - Ponder it|talk]]) 18:57, 30 October 2017 (UTC)

"Only to realize'''d'''? -[[Special:Contributions/172.68.110.22|172.68.110.22]] 23:08, 30 October 2017 (UTC)

[Subject] wiki, anyone? Wikis have rather detailed analyses of even obscure topics in my line of work/study. --[[User:Nialpxe|Nialpxe]], 2017. [[User_talk:Nialpxe|(Arguments welcome)]] (P.S. just to be clear I mean wikis maintained by researchers and professionals in [Subject] field, not Wikipedia)

There's a wealth of thought about exactly this problem by librarians; [https://www.loc.gov/preservation/resources/rfs/TOC.html the Library of Congress has some recommendations] along with [https://www.loc.gov/preservation/digital/formats/index.html a database evaluating over a hundred formats] along a variety of axes: is the format documented openly? Is it widely used? Is it inherently transparent to inspection even if the specification is lost? Can it contain its own metadata? What sort of external dependencies does it have? Is it patent-encumbered, and are there technical access restrictions like DRM? (tl;dr, images as TIFF, text as EPUB or PDF/A, sound as WAV. They're very conservative.) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.106|108.162.249.106]] 05:07, 31 October 2017 (UTC)

434: xkcd Goes to the Airport

2017-09-02T23:38:18Z

108.162.249.106: There can't be a reference to a future comic that hasn't been made yet. Changed line to make more sense.

{{comic
| number = 434
| date = June 9, 2008
| title = xkcd Goes to the Airport
| image = xkcd_goes_to_the_airport.png
| titletext = Under three ounces, but it stains panties.
}}

==Explanation==
The various characters of xkcd cause problems at the airport due to their various quirks.

Panel 1: [[Beret Guy]] and [[Megan]] are lost, following each other in a loop. Beret Guy displays his obsession with baked goods as he also does in later comics: [[442: xkcd Loves the Discovery Channel]] and [[452: Mission]].

Panel 2: [[Cueball]] tries to carry a {{w|Lock picking|lockpick set}} (a tool able to unlock doors without the original key) through security. The security guard tells Cueball that he has to come with him, but Cueball wants to tell the guard about "this hacker girl" before going with the guard. This may be spoofing the incidents where someone has been manipulated into smuggling drugs or other contraband by a romantic interest they met on the Internet. The hacker girl could be [[Elaine]] from the [[1337|1337-series]].

Panel 3: On the plane, Cueball has been instructed to disable the wireless transmission functionality of his device. Many airlines require passengers to disable {{w|Mobile phones on aircraft|mobile phones on aircraft}} as well as other radio transmitting devices because they may interfere with the radio-based navigation and communication equipment of the aircraft. However, his laptop is running Linux and he doesn't know how to change the wireless settings; he's reading the {{w|Man page|manual}} for the program that controls the wireless radio. However, this is probably not the ideal situation, as the airplane is pressed to take off. Man page was also referenced in [[293: RTFM]]. Much later a plane was again linked to a man page in [[912: Manual Override]].

Panel 4: [[Black Hat]] tries to carry a container of liquid through security. According to US law, the maximum amount of liquid that can be taken onto a plane in a container is three ounces, a security measure taken to prevent terrorists from taking explosives onto planes. When the guard has doubts about the amount of liquid in the vial, Black Hat reveals that the liquid is actually blood from a churchmouse. This is referred to later in [[526: Converting to Metric]], which claims that a fieldmouse has much less blood than that. The guard is visibly uncomfortable and clearly does not want to deal with the issue any further.

The title text continues off the final panel, saying that there are less than three ounces of blood in a churchmouse, but it "stains panties", an undesirable scenario. However, this undesirable scenario is paralleled by the implied undesirable scenario of a terrorist attack due to explosive liquids, the possibility of which caused the law. The title text seems to parody the prospect of an explosion with the relatively insignificant staining of panties, a term for women's underwear. This may also be a menstruation joke.

==Transcript==
:[Standing outside the Airport. There is a sign saying "Airport" and a plane in the background.]
:Megan: Okay, what airline?
:Beret Guy: I'm following you.
:Megan: ...I'm following you.
:Beret Guy: I assumed we were walking to the bakery.
:Megan: You always assume that!

:[Presumably the security checkpoint.]
:Security Guy: Lockpicks? These are... illegal, actually. Where did you get them?
:Cueball: Oh man, it all started with this hacker girl.
:Security Guy: You need to come with-
:Cueball: Sure, sure. But man, let me tell you about her!

:[On a plane.]
:Announcement: If your device has a "Transmit" function, please disable it.
:Cueball: Okay - hang on, I'm half way through the iwconfig man page.

:[Security checkpoint.]
:Security guy: Sir, is this container under three ounces?
:Black Hat: Not sure, how much blood is there in a churchmouse?
:Security guy: . . .Why don't you just go.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Linux]]
[[Category:Food]]
[[Category:Man pages]]