explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:3259: Tethys

2026-06-16T09:35:23Z

134.102.219.31:

Are the humans there also 12:1? [[User:King Pando|King Pando]] ([[User talk:King Pando|talk]]) 15:55, 15 June 2026 (UTC)

: 12:1 means 12x in dimensions. I think the joke is that the miniature art builders are so obsessed with miniatures that 1:12 scale is their"normal", so 12:1 from their perspective is a normal size from everyone else's perspective.[[Special:Contributions/135.180.173.62|135.180.173.62]] 16:44, 15 June 2026 (UTC)

My understanding of the gag is that the miniature builders are constructing a 1:12 model of the Moon to go with Tethys's "scale model of Earth."

You mean the '''american''' miniature art model builders. The rest of the world will keep waiting for a 1,274.2 km moon [[Special:Contributions/38.25.26.137|38.25.26.137]] 19:56, 15 June 2026 (UTC)

A possible subjoke is a misunderstanding of scaling. Tethys' radius/diameter is 1/12 that of Earth's, but its surface area is closer to 3/500. In terms of surface area, Jupiter's moon Io is closest to the 1/12 scale. It is also possible that this commenter doesn't understand scaling, though. [[Special:Contributions/1.170.227.28|1.170.227.28]] 02:41, 16 June 2026 (UTC)
:Scaling refers to lengths, i.e., 1:12 scale means the model has 1/12 length, 1/144 area and 1/1728 volume (assuming all dimensions are scaled equally, especially for Earth models sometimes height is exaggerated: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoid#/media/File:Geoid_undulation_10k_scale.jpg). --[[Special:Contributions/134.102.219.31|134.102.219.31]] 09:35, 16 June 2026 (UTC)

I can't see why terraforming (as it's usually understood) or orbital mirrors, etc. would be required. Model builders don't usually build a sky and local microclimate to accompany their models. Certainly a significant amount of topological engineering (which is technically a form of terraforming, but not what is normally meant by the term) would be required to provide a workable substrate to build on, and further modifications may be needed to create an environment where the modelling equipment can work and the model would be protected during/after building, but I don't see any need to recreate the surface conditions of the Earth. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 08:29, 16 June 2026 (UTC)

Talk:3257: Beam Pipe

2026-06-12T12:40:18Z

134.102.219.31: Citations

Ok why did this take so long to be created? [[User:GSLikesCats307|GSLikesCats307]] ([[User talk:GSLikesCats307|talk]]) 12:58, 11 June 2026 (UTC)
:I think it was because explainxkcd was down when this comic was published (agian :/) --[[User:Clarkexckd8|Clarkexckd8]] ([[User talk:Clarkexckd8|talk]]) 13:01, 11 June 2026 (UTC)
::It was like that with the last comic as well. What's causing these outages? [[User:GSLikesCats307|GSLikesCats307]] ([[User talk:GSLikesCats307|talk]]) 13:03, 11 June 2026 (UTC)
::: Maybe it's something with the servers. I have no clue why it took until 12:00 (UTC) to upload though.--[[User:Clarkexckd8|Clarkexckd8]] ([[User talk:Clarkexckd8|talk]]) 13:15, 11 June 2026 (UTC)
This is probably nitpicking, but covering the opening of a hose doesn't increase the pressure of the stream, it increases flow rate instead, and with it the nozzle velocity. The pressure at the end of a hose is equal to ambient pressure, and the flow rate adjusts itself to achieve this. (At least in sub-sonic conditions that you would normally encounter, though this may not apply to the LHC...) [[Special:Contributions/2A02:590:1404:9301:2CAC:E347:73BF:C11|2A02:590:1404:9301:2CAC:E347:73BF:C11]] 14:30, 11 June 2026 (UTC)
:Yeah, I noticed that... decreasing the diameter should actually decrease the pressure by bernoulli's law, right? [[Special:Contributions/12.159.97.176|12.159.97.176]] 14:31, 11 June 2026 (UTC)
::Yeah I was about to mention that too [[User:GreaterDog6065|GreaterDog6065]] ([[User talk:GreaterDog6065|talk]]) 14:55, 11 June 2026 (UTC)[https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/User:GreaterDog6065 GreaterDog6065] 09:54, 11 June 2026 (CDT)

What if you put your hand in a particle accelerator: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UgKki1tCKI
Also, LHC actually has two adjacent parallel beamlines (or beam pipes) each containing a beam, which travel in opposite directions. Cf. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Large_Hadron_Collider#Design
--[[Special:Contributions/134.102.219.31|134.102.219.31]] 12:40, 12 June 2026 (UTC)

Talk:3213: Dental Formulas

2026-03-02T18:51:52Z

134.102.219.31:

First![[User:AmethystSky14|AmethystSky14]] ([[User talk:AmethystSky14|talk]]) 21:43, 27 February 2026 (UTC)

The top left drawing is a tooth. [[User:Xkdvd|Xkdvd]] ([[User talk:Xkdvd|talk]]) 22:04, 27 February 2026 (UTC)

This confused me for a long time (partly due to the mammal/mammol thing) - I took them to be dentists. I'm now inferring that the counts are typical of a species rather than descriptive of an individual patient. Maybe the write up could make that more clear in case someone else as dumb as me passes by [[Special:Contributions/2A00:23EE:10C8:110F:D992:D45:1C7A:DF02|2A00:23EE:10C8:110F:D992:D45:1C7A:DF02]] guest
:"in case someone as dumb as me passes by" - that would be everyone, see ''<nowiki>Explain xkcd: It's 'cause you're dumb.</nowiki>'' [[Special:Contributions/64.201.132.210|64.201.132.210]] 22:21, 27 February 2026 (UTC)
:Yes, dental formulas are based on typical, not individual, dentition. In cases where it frequently varies (like humans with their unreliable wisdom teeth) you sometimes see a range. [[Special:Contributions/70.40.90.209|70.40.90.209]] 02:29, 28 February 2026 (UTC)

Because I'm sure someone else will be wondering, based on a very cursory search, the formula on the board appears to be permanent teeth for felines. At the very least, Wikipedia's entry on Dentition lists this formula for cats, lions, and tigers. Perhaps an actual expert will come along and shed further light on this. [[Special:Contributions/97.116.61.145|97.116.61.145]] 22:52, 27 February 2026 (UTC)

Some British sources still use a baseline dot (full stop/period) as the multiplication symbol and a midline dot (interpunct) as the decimal point. These sources could write 3.2·1 = 6·3. Scary. Even ''The Lancet'' uses the interpunct as a decimal point (though its style guides do not specify a multiplication symbol, so presumably '×' should be used when juxtaposition isn't an option, e.g. for scientific notation). Most British schools still teach it this way as well, where the dot product is always a baseline dot. (This convention also used in some other European countries, which use the comma as the decimal separator and the period as the thousands separator. But it's confusing, because 〈x,y〉or even (x,y) is also used to represent the inner product of x and y. It's really a mess.) [[User:EebstertheGreat|EebstertheGreat]] ([[User talk:EebstertheGreat|talk]]) 04:36, 28 February 2026 (UTC)
:I didn't know it was called the interpunct but that was how I was taught to write decimal points at my UK school in the early sixties and how I still write them by hand.--[[Special:Contributions/2A00:23CC:D248:8901:30F4:4052:A4F7:386E|2A00:23CC:D248:8901:30F4:4052:A4F7:386E]] 09:36, 28 February 2026 (UTC)
:And some countries use interpuncts for multiplying scalars, baseline dots (interchangeably with spaces, but never both in a single number) for thousands, and commas as decimal symbol. There are languages that even include group separation ''after'' the latter, with a 4-digit final group iff the last digit is the 10-3''n''-1s place (e. g. "3 863 387,274 479 0001" instead of "3 863 387,274 479 000 1"), even with several exceptions (e. g. rules like "4-digit numbers do not require formatting, '''unless they are in a table with longer numbers in the same column'''"). [[Special:Contributions/2001:4C4E:1C00:EB00:D063:D715:3937:44C6|2001:4C4E:1C00:EB00:D063:D715:3937:44C6]] 11:42, 1 March 2026 (UTC)

An unrelated note, I'm just curious, does any beast have more than 1 canine? or is the second number limited to the set {0, 1}? -- [[User:Malgond|Malgond]] ([[User talk:Malgond|talk]]) 09:31, 2 March 2026 (UTC)

Fun Fact: The {{w|São Tomé collared fruit bat}} is the only known mammal where the whole population has an asymmetrical dental formula. --[[Special:Contributions/134.102.219.31|134.102.219.31]] 18:51, 2 March 2026 (UTC)

2929: Good and Bad Ideas

2026-02-12T15:17:43Z

134.102.219.31: /* Table of the entries */ references to other comics

{{comic
| number = 2929
| date = May 6, 2024
| title = Good and Bad Ideas
| image = good_and_bad_ideas_2x.png
| imagesize = 595x522px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = While it seemed like a fun prank at the time, I realize my prank fire extinguishers full of leaded gasoline were a mistake.
}}

==Explanation==
This is a scatter plot comparing how good an idea sounds to how good the idea is. For example, leaded gasoline sounded like a good idea due to its anti-knocking effects, but is a bad idea due to lead toxicity. Fake prank fire extinguishers both sound bad and ''are'' bad, as they can make a dangerous situation worse. Putting mold on infections sounds like a bad idea, but some molds, like ones containing penicillin, have helpful antibiotic effects.

The title text combines leaded gasoline and a fake prank fire extinguisher into something worse than either. The fire extinguisher is fake and releases flammable material onto the fire, and there is additional lead toxicity.

===Table of the entries===
{| class="wikitable sortable"

|-
! Idea !! What it means !! How good it sounds !! How good it actually is !! Explanation
|-
|{{w|Leaded gasoline}}||Adding {{w|Tetraethyllead|tetraethyl lead}} as an antiknocking agent to allow for increased performance||data-sort-value="+65%"|65%||data-sort-value="-95%"|-95%||Leaded gasoline was introduced in the early 1920s to allow higher pressures and temperatures in an engine without causing {{w|Engine_knocking|detonation (knocking)}}, allowing for increased fuel efficiency and engine performance; it also works to prevent engine valve wear. In essence, it artificially raises the {{w|octane rating}} of the fuel, reducing the need for fuel refinement, thus reducing waste and/or expense. Lead, however, is both toxic and bioaccumulative, meaning that lead released into the air over decades built up to harmful levels in people (as well as other animals) and almost certainly contributed to a host of health issues. Some scientists even hypothesise that {{w|Lead–crime hypothesis|crime levels are influenced by lead exposure}}. (It should be noted that this only "[sounded] like a good idea" due to deliberate campaigns to obscure the known dangers).
|-
|{{w|Bloodletting}}||Releasing "bad blood" from the veins||data-sort-value="-90%"|-90%||data-sort-value="-100%"|-100%||You need (most of) your blood. Losing [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK542273/ more than 15%] of a person's total blood volume results in adverse effects. Bloodletting was performed as a medical procedure for at least 2000 years until the 19th century. The idea was to withdraw blood to balance the body's "humors". Despite this long history, the notion that bleeding someone is bad now seems like basic common sense, and it's now well-understood that blood-letting (outside of {{what if|98|certain rare and specific cases}}) does no good, causes significant harm and quite certainly causes many deaths.
|-
|{{w|Asbestos}}||Mineral which does not burn, tolerates extremely high temperatures and forms small fibers. These qualities make it excellent for insulation and fire protection||data-sort-value="+90%"|90%||data-sort-value="-80%"|-80%||Asbestos was used extensively in ships and buildings throughout most of the 20th century. Unfortunately, the microscopic fibers that make up asbestos greatly increase the risk of {{w|Asbestosis|lung disease}} and cancer when inhaled, causing its use to be banned in most countries.
|-
|Extension cords with prongs on both ends||allows easy connection between 2 female connectors||data-sort-value="+5%"|~0%||data-sort-value="-80%"|-80%||Prongs on both ends would make it easier to plug the extension cord in on either side. But once plugged into an outlet, the other end becomes a serious shock hazard, as seen in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L08LjkN1k70 this Backyard Scientist video]. Short circuits (both ends connected to outlets supplying power) would be much more likely, resulting in more sparks, fires and damage to wiring. Double-ended cords are also sometimes used as an especially dangerous way to feed power from a generator into an outlet, introducing a shock hazard to any utility workers attempting to restore power.

See also: [[3198: Double-Pronged Extension Cord]]
|-
|Stair kayaking||Riding down a flight of stairs in a {{w|kayak}}||data-sort-value="-60%"|-60%||data-sort-value="-75%"|-75%|| Stair kayaking is a stunt where a person positions a kayak at the top of a flight of stairs and then, using their paddle to push off, [https://youtu.be/46BjHAxgddU?t=154 rides the kayak down the stairs]. This poses significant easily foreseeable risks of injury or death, as well as being very bad for the kayak, which is designed to ride on {{w|Kayak|water}}, not stairs.{{Citation needed}}
|-
|Fake prank fire extinguishers||A “fake prank” fire extinguisher would be something that appears to be a prank fire extinguisher, but is actually a real fire extinguisher. However, Randall appears to mean using a fake fire extinguisher as a prank. Intentionally placing empty or otherwise non-functional {{w|fire extinguisher|fire extinguishers}} as a {{w|practical joke}}.||data-sort-value="-105%"|-100%||data-sort-value="-85%"|-85%|| The idea of placing fake fire extinguishers as a prank, presumably so that a person who thinks they are grabbing a real fire extinguisher will instead find a decoy, sounds, and indeed would be, very dangerous and potentially life-threatening for many people. In the United States, (and presumably most countries), this would also be a felony in most, if not all, jurisdictions. This exact scenario was depicted in the 2001/Season 3 Christmas episode of Family Guy, where Brian failed to put out a fire because the fire extinguisher shot fake snakes instead, acting as further fuel to the fire. An example of a similar situation, although not intended as a prank, can be found [https://twitter.com/ThatSamWinkler/status/1657154071051239424 here].
The title text expands this idea by having the prank fire extinguishers filled with (leaded) gasoline. This is literally adding fuel to the fire.
|-
|Always saying what you think||...regardless of the feelings of others or other considerations||data-sort-value="+65%"|65%||data-sort-value="-60%"|-60%||Openness and honesty are seen as positive character traits in people. Taking it to the extreme of ''always'' telling people what you think has been {{w|Radical_honesty|espoused by some}}, but can lead to awkward, unpleasant or dangerous situations. It may harm your relationship with the other person if they don't like what you think, or they may reply without concern for ''your'' feelings or other considerations. Keeping negative thoughts to yourself or telling "white lies" can be considered a better alternative in some situations.
Unrestrictively saying what you think to somebody in power (a boss, soldier, dictator, drunk) can negatively impact your earning potential, health or freedom, even if you have a point. Or else, on the offchance that your (first) thoughts are less correct, [https://quoteinvestigator.com/2010/05/17/remain-silent/ "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt."]
|-
|Replying to spammers||Clicking on the "Reply" button from {{w|spam email}}s and writing (and sending) a reply (or worse, clicking on the links in these emails)||data-sort-value="-50%"|-50%||data-sort-value="-50%"|-50%||At best, you confirm your email address and identify yourself as someone likely to respond to such messages and so encourage the spammers to deluge you with more messages. At worst, the spammer may extract sensitive information about you, make you a victim of a scam or gain control of your computer.
|-
|{{w|Solar car}}s||Having {{w|Solar panel|solar panels}} on the car's surface (mostly hood and roof) for power generation||data-sort-value="+95%"|95%||data-sort-value="-35%"|-35%||Powering electric vehicles with solar panels seems like an excellent idea: it would provide power with no increased land use, and theoretically could allow a vehicle to operate indefinitely without being fueled or charged. However, such vehicles would require power storage (due to power requirements, weather conditions, shade from roadside features and nighttime driving), adding significant weight. Adding solar panels to a plug-in or hybrid vehicle would add cost, weight, manufacturing complexity and maintenance requirements. Solar panels on moving cars are less efficient than in stationary installations, where they can be aimed at the Sun, and subject to damage from both collisions and road debris; even without these problems, the size of automobiles relative to their power requirements would sharply limit the car's range (unless it was a normal electric vehicle with supplemental solar panels). Solar cars do exist (the {{w|World Solar Challenge}} is a competition for such cars), but as a practical form of transportation, the negatives likely outweigh the positives. See also [[1924: Solar Panels]].
|-
|{{w|Heelys|Heelies}}[sic]||Heelys are shoes with an inline skate wheel built in the sole, at the heel. ||data-sort-value="+25%"|25%||data-sort-value="-40%"|-40%||Heelys allow the wearer (usually children) to shift between normal walking and rolling like being on skates. This sounds like fun but [https://abcnews.go.com/Health/Exercise/story?id=3242181&page=1 has been suggested] to be a potentially significant injury risk.
|-
|{{w|Prequel|Prequels}}||A work of fiction (often a movie) telling the "story before the story" of another work.||data-sort-value="+75%"|75%||data-sort-value="-15%"|-15%||More of a good story sounds great on the surface, and audiences who are invested in a set of characters and/or a setting often love the idea of finding out what led up to certain events. But there are several pitfalls. Spin-offs of a popular property are often low-quality cash grabs. Prequels, specifically, are constrained by the fact that they have to lead to the story that's already been released, which can lead to contrived storytelling. There's less room for suspense, since the future of the storyline has already been established. There's a tendency to invent or fill in detailed backstories, which can undermine character arcs and/or destroy the mystery and nuance of certain characters. And, since they tend only to be made where the original is already well-received, regression to the mean tends to mean they are more likely than not to fail to live up to expectations. Prequels can be good, but there are a lot of ways they can go wrong.
|-
|Transitions® lenses||A brand name for {{w|Photochromic_lens|photochromic lenses}} in glasses or contacts, which get darker (like sunglasses) in bright light.||data-sort-value="+30%"|30%||data-sort-value="-20%"|-20%||Photochromic lenses are clear lenses that darken when exposed to UV light, then turn clear again when the UV is removed. The advantage is that wearers of glasses don't need to have separate (prescription) sunglasses or contacts. However, the process is relatively slow (about a minute) so not so useful when there is a quick succession of shade and bright light, as in a forest or when driving. If used in a car, the windscreen filters out UV light to some degree, which prevents the glasses from darkening as required. Finally, the process is temperature dependent, so in hot weather the glasses don't become as dark, and in cold weather they might stay dark for too long.

Additionally, the following should be considered. UV-conscious people protect their face against UV light, so the skin doesn't form wrinkles and ages slower. Sunscreen is difficult to apply around eyes without getting the substance on eyeballs (cosmetic substances should not get there{{Citation needed}}). One of the reasons behind wearing sunglasses may be to protect skin around eyes from forming so called crow's feet. Under UV-filtering sunglasses, UV-activated transitions contact lenses will not darken defeating their purpose. At the same time transitions contacts are typically at least twice as expensive as the regular ones.
|-
|Cutting pizza in squares||Cutting (a presumably round) pizza in squares||data-sort-value="-25%"|-25%||data-sort-value="-20%"|-20%||Most people cut pizza into wedges and hold it by the crust. Cutting it into squares could allow for more pieces to be shared, if the resulting wedges would be too thin to be practical. However, pieces near the center will have no crust to hold it by, getting cheese and sauce all over your fingers. Cuts around the edge will probably leave smaller leftover scraps which are mostly crust. While hardly a disaster like the other items in its quadrant, square pizza pieces are just not very useful and rather inefficient. Cutting a rectangular pizza into squares might not suffer from the problems above, but, unless the pizza itself is square and cut only into four squares, some people will end up with a higher crust-to-topping ratio than others. Cutting a round pizza into squares is popular in Chicago and is sometimes called tavern-style or party-cut and some<nowiki>[</nowiki>''{{w|Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Words_to_watch#Unsupported_attributions|who?}}''<nowiki>]</nowiki> [https://www.bonappetit.com/story/real-chicago-pizza-tavern-style consider it the real Chicago style pizza] [https://destinationeatdrink.com/the-real-chicago-style-pizza-isnt-deep-dish/ rather than deep dish pizza].{{Dubious}} St. Louis Style Pizza is also cut into squares.
|-
|{{w|Project Orion (nuclear propulsion)|Project Orion}}||Study by the U.S. government looking into nuclear pulse propulsion for spacecraft.||data-sort-value="-95%"|-95%||data-sort-value="-25%"|-25%||Using repeated nuclear explosions to generate motion sounds bad for both the spacecraft and everything else, especially with a ground launch, but there are ways to address a lot of the concerns, so it isn't as bad as it sounds. Project Orion's theorized specific impulse and thrust would also be far higher than anything chemical rockets can accomplish. The efficiency of Project Orion is extremely low, however, and the {{w|ablation}} issues are extremely difficult to overcome.

See also [[2423: Project Orion]].
|-
|{{w|Soup}}||Soup||data-sort-value="0%"|~0%||data-sort-value="0%"|~0%||Soup is probably one of the oldest foods created by prehistoric cooks. Many people enjoy it, though some consider many soups somewhat lacking as a meal on their own, or boring.
|-
|{{w|Washer-dryer|Combo washer dryers}}||A device that combines a washing machine and laundry dryer||data-sort-value="+80%"|80%||data-sort-value="+20%"|20%||Better at space efficiency, but worse at each task than separate devices and unable to do both tasks in parallel (useful when you have more than one batch of laundry).
|-
|Cutting sandwiches diagonally||Cutting sandwiches made with rectangular sliced bread diagonally||data-sort-value="+30%"|30%||data-sort-value="+20%"|20%||[https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/math/a32690399/triangles-rectangles-best-way-cut-sandwich-math/ Generally] [https://www.npr.org/2009/11/28/120914097/rectangles-vs-triangles-the-great-sandwich-debate regarded] as the superior way to slice a sandwich, providing more aesthetically pleasing display of the contents, better support in the hand and fewer all-crust bites.
|-
|{{w|Diverging diamond interchange}}s||Road junction where the two (sets of) lanes cross over to switch sides (so if you normally drive on the right, now you drive on the left), then switch back to normal after the junction||data-sort-value="-30%"|-30%||data-sort-value="+15%"|15%||Highway engineers believe the shape improves safety and traffic flow through the interchange because switching to the other side facilitates merging to and from the other road in the junction. However, the shape appears to be insanity to an unfamiliar driver, who may assume that driver confusion would lead to increased accidents.
|-
|Toasting sandwiches||Making a sandwich first and then cooking it, as in a dedicated {{w|Pie_iron|sandwich toaster}}, a {{w|toaster oven|toaster oven}}, frying pan or under a grill.||data-sort-value="+45%"|45%||data-sort-value="+50%"|50%||The grilled cheese sandwich is a familiar form to most people, and many other sandwiches are improved by toasting as a final step. Doing so makes the sandwich warm, while also making the bread crisp and crunchy, while often melting or softening the fillings, which provides contrasting textures that many find pleasing. Other sandwiches, such as the {{w|western sandwich|Western}} or {{w|club sandwich|club}} are prepared using toast. The {{w|peanut butter, banana and bacon sandwich|Elvis}} is a specific case of a sandwich that normally wouldn't be toasted, but is improved by it - peanut butter, bacon, banana and jelly, with the assembly lightly fried.
|-
|{{w|Crumple zone}}s||Areas of a car that are designed to deform in a controlled way in case of a crash. ||data-sort-value="-55%"|-55%||data-sort-value="+55%"|55%||Most people's intuition would be that stronger cars are safer, and intending parts of a vehicle to collapse ''by design'' might seem crazy. But engineered crumple zones are designed to gradually absorb the kinetic energy in a vehicle collision and protect the passenger cabin. The result is that the occupants experience less intense deceleration and ideally without the damage significantly compressing the shell around them. This significantly reduces the danger of injury or death from higher speed crashes.
|-
|{{w|Sliced bread}}||Bread, sliced by the baker before packaging for sale||data-sort-value="+95%"|95%||data-sort-value="+65%"|65%||It's far more convenient for making sandwiches or toast, but unfortunately pre-sliced bread will go stale faster and some applications may be better off thicker or thinner than the slices provided. Sliced bread is often used as a comparator for how good something is, using the phrase 'the best thing since sliced bread'.
|-
|{{w|Pizza}}||Pizza - a dish made by arranging ingredients on thin dough and cooking it, usually cut radially||data-sort-value="+55%"|55%||data-sort-value="+75%"|75%||Pizza is a widely popular dish throughout much of the world, uncontroversial {{w|Anchovies_as_food|except}} {{w|Pineapple|certain}} [https://www.taste.com.au/recipes/nutty-choc-pizza-fresh-berries/2c0220a4-8463-45ff-b2ba-ac7e5012a006 toppings].
|-
|Eating citrus fruit while at sea||Having a supply of {{w|citrus fruit}} on long sea journeys, especially during the {{w|Age of Sail}} ||data-sort-value="0%"|~0%||data-sort-value="+75%"|75%||For a long time, {{w|Scurvy|scurvy}} was a danger to sailors, who generally subsisted on a monotonous diet of shelf-stable foods with low vitamin content while on long voyages. Most citrus fruits are rich in vitamin C, which prevents scurvy. Eating orange or lemons doesn't seem like a significant activity one way or the other, but it's an easy way to prevent a disease that causes serious ill-health and possibly a painful death.
|-
|Putting mold on infections||Seemingly a reference to the ancient practice of pressing moldy bread against infected wounds||data-sort-value="-110%"|-100%||data-sort-value="+60%"|60%||While this sounds like a good way to get a fungal infection, with the correct mold this is a primitive way to obtain an antibiotic. Certain fungi naturally produce antibiotic substances, and this is where humans discovered {{w|penicillin}}.
|-
|Wheels on luggage||Some luggage bags have small wheels inset on their frame and a carrying handle.||data-sort-value="+100%"|100%||data-sort-value="+90%"|90%||A relatively simple fitting for rigid or semi-rigid luggage that substantially eases its transport over long distances on flat surfaces such as travel terminals.
|-
|{{w|Heat pump}}s||A technology that moves heat energy from a cold area to a warm area, most familiar as the technology that keeps a refrigerator cold. It can be used to heat a home interior in winter or cool it in summer.||data-sort-value="+55%"|55%||data-sort-value="+95%"|95%||Unlike traditional furnaces, heat pumps do not generate heat (beyond a small overhead). Instead, they move existing thermal energy from a coolable environment across to a warmable one. This allows a space to be heated with significantly less energy use than a furnace or resistance heater that generates heat directly from chemical or electrical energy. Because these units are usually operated by electricity, they can provide heating with renewable energy (potentially using {{w|thermal energy storage}} for load-shifting), reduce or eliminate the need for natural gas connections and prevent several risks that come with traditional furnaces (such a carbon monoxide leaks and fires). In addition, heat pumps can operate in the reverse direction as air conditioners, so a single unit can be designed to both heat and cool a building. It sounds like a good idea and works out better than expected in real life.
According to [https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/02/14/1068582/everything-you-need-to-know-about-heat-pumps/ MIT Technology review]:
<blockquote>Heat pumps today can reach 300% to 400% efficiency or even higher, meaning they’re putting out three to four times as much energy in the form of heat as they’re using in electricity. For a space heater, the theoretical maximum would be 100% efficiency, and the best models today reach around 95% efficiency.</blockquote>

See also [[2790: Heat Pump]] and [[3099: Neighbor-Source Heat Pump]].
|-
|{{w|Laser eye surgery}}||Surgical techniques using lasers for precision cutting in the eyeball.||data-sort-value="-60%"|-60%||data-sort-value="+90%"|90%||In the popular imagination, lasers are often thought of as something used for destroying their target. In fact, laser pointers commonly include warnings about how and when they should be used. Firing them into people's eyes, then, does not sound like a great idea.{{Citation needed}} However, this technology has substantially improved the eyesight of millions of people worldwide by allowing the treatment of eye problems otherwise only corrected by lenses or entirely untreatable. Randall hasn't placed "Laser eye surgery" ''exactly'' at the edge of the good-idea axis, however, perhaps because of the genuine chance that a laser-eye-surgery recipient's vision could become significantly damaged permanently during surgery. Randall has previously commented on laser eye surgery, amongst other ideas both good and bad, in [[1681: Laser Products]].
|-
|{{w|Fecal transplant}}s||Transfer of portions of the {{w|Gut microbiota|gut microbiome}} of a healthy person to the sterilized gut of an ill person.||data-sort-value="-110%"|-100%||data-sort-value="+95%"|95%||The gut microbiome is a collection of organisms that lives in our guts. It can influence our health. It is responsible for the last stages of digesting our food. It can also produce neurotransmitters that are carried by blood to our brain influencing our behavior, and play a role in disease immunity, among other systemic effects that are still not well understood. A healthy microbiome can be destroyed by bad eating habits, unhealthy lifestyles, infections or the use of antibiotics. Sometimes it may be beneficial to completely sterilize the gut and then take a sample of a healthy biome from another person. A sample is enough, as the organisms will multiply. As long as the patient eats correctly, the microbiome after transplant should develop correctly.

It sounds bad because we tend to think of our feces as something gross, to be discarded, and other people's bacteria as infectious. It is called fecal transplant as our feces contain about 50% of gut bacteria, but nowadays the sample usually takes the form of a coated pill that is applied rectally.
|-
|}

==Transcript==
:[Two axes with double arrows cross each other in the middle. At the end of each arrow, there are labels. Scattered over the chart are 28 entries. Below these entries are given for each of the four quadrants, plus three that are on the Y-axis. For each quadrant the entries are listed in reading order, top to bottom left to right.]

:[X axis from left to right:]
:Sounds like a good idea
:Sounds like a bad idea

:[Y axis from top to bottom:]
:Actually a bad idea
:Actually a good idea

:[Top left quadrant (sounds like a good idea, actually a bad idea):]
:Leaded gasoline
:Asbestos
:Always saying what you think
:Solar cars
:Heelies
:Prequels
:Transitions® lenses

:[Top middle (actually a bad idea):]
:Extension cords with prongs on both ends

:[Top right quadrant (sounds like a bad idea, actually a bad idea):]
:Bloodletting
:Fake prank fire extinguishers
:Stair kayaking
:Replying to spammers
:Cutting pizza in squares
:Project Orion

:[Center (neutral):]
:Soup

:[Bottom left quadrant (sounds like a good idea, actually a good idea):]
:Combo washer dryers
:Cutting sandwiches diagonally
:Toasting sandwiches
:Sliced bread
:Pizza
:Wheels on luggage
:Heat pumps

:[Bottom middle (actually a good idea):]
:Eating citrus fruit while at sea

:[Bottom right quadrant (sounds like a bad idea, actually a good idea):]
:Diverging diamond interchanges
:Crumple zones
:Putting mold on infections
:Laser eye surgery
:Fecal transplants

==Trivia==
*A much leaner version of this comic appeared in the first [[What If? (book) | "What If?" book]], chapter "Weird (and Worrying) Questions from the What If? Inbox, #9".

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Scatter plots]]
[[Category:Rankings]]
[[Category:Food]]

Talk:3171: Geologic Core Sample

2025-11-24T16:53:22Z

134.102.219.31:

F1R5T P0ST [[User:Slothscript|Slothscript]] ([[User talk:Slothscript|talk]]) 23:51, 21 November 2025 (UTC)

How do I add a category? It needs to be in the LOTR category. (Wow it’s hard to edit this thing on a phone) [[User:Kirinhatchi|Kirinhatchi]] ([[User talk:Kirinhatchi|talk]])

is netherrack a typo? {{unsigned ip|151.197.190.53|00:24, 22 November 2025 (UTC)}}
:No, it's an extremely weak, dark red rock from Minecraft. [[User:RadiantRainwing|RadiantRainwing]] ([[User talk:RadiantRainwing|talk]]) 00:39, 22 November 2025 (UTC)

andalite is not a rock it's an alien from Animorphs which the author is a fan of. Maybe I'll add it to the Animorphs category page [[User:Whoservelt|Whoservelt]] ([[User talk:Whoservelt|talk]]) 00:28, 22 November 2025 (UTC)

They’re just normal rock types, so perhaps not, but I was wondering if the back-to-back references to granite and diorite is a secondary Minecraft reference, since they were added in the same update (which I always associate with them in general.) [[User:KelOfTheStars!|KelOfTheStars!]] ([[User talk:KelOfTheStars!|talk]]) 01:23, 22 November 2025 (UTC)
:I think it IS another Minecraft reference. Along with granite and diorite, there’s a third in that triad: andesite — which is spelled and pronounced similarly enough to “Andalite” that the two could quite possibly be conflated, especially by someone who is familiar with the latter and “always has to look up” the former. {{unsigned ip|2a04:4e41:3521:69d6::1d21:69d6|01:44, 22 November 2025 (UTC)}}
::Well, it's 'andalite' in the comic, not andesite. I think that's just a passing reference. [[User:DollarStoreBa'al|--'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]]]] ([[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al|talk]]) 02:29, 22 November 2025 (UTC)
:It's been a long time since I Minecrafted, but I don't recall any (stock) inclusion of anything so realistic. Raw 'generic' stone (which became cobblestone once mined, unless it was an ore-holding version), sandstone, obsidian (which I'd usually cast) and the indestrutable bedrock - in the 'normal' world. Netherack (I keep wanting to type "nethack"!) in the Nether and maybe something else (other than the general igneous theme, fire and hostiles) ...glowstone? I know there are (were) 'real rock patches', as with many other mods, but I hadn't heard of this being put into vanilla editions (Bedrock, or whatever). Whether it's happened since the Ender got put in, I don't know. I was playing (solo-survival mode, mostly) when there were Endermen, but not yet their own domain for them/the dragon, and basically forgot about it before Microsoft took it on (then had too many other new time-sinks to even consider selling my soul to them)...
:But something like Dwarf Fortress ''does'' have plenty of rock-types (plain 'granite', but also diorite, gabbro, slate, limestone, mudstone, etc, etc, etc, even before getting to ores and gem clusters), for longer even than Minecraft had been around, and I linked into that where I thought appropriate. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.236.186|82.132.236.186]] 17:26, 22 November 2025 (UTC)
:: You've not minecraft in a long time then friend, it's been over a decade since Endermen were added. Here are some more stone types in vanilla minecraft other than the ones you listed: Granite, Andesite, Diorite, Sandstone, Red Sandstone, Tuff, Deepslate, Calcite, Dripstone, Basalt, Blackstone, and End Stone. [[Special:Contributions/199.247.247.123|199.247.247.123]] 19:20, 22 November 2025 (UTC)
::: As another long-lapsed minecrafter, that's news to me. (Could I colour stone, back then, or was that just wool blocks and maybe some modded-in 'concrete'?) Also reminded me more of [https://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php/Stone DF stones], though, there being a lot of those, and MC looks like it's still not quite as complexity. I love being able to build entire castles in olivine, or cinnabar/[https://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php/Pitchblende whatever's plentiful enough] (and not ore/flux, or the limited amount best saved for other purposes like colour-coded magmasafe floodgates/levers), without 'cheating' by applying my own hues to them. Mind you, I also prefer pre-Steam ASCII-style (vanilla) DF, as well, easier to understand, sometimes, than trying to understand some of the artwork. [[Special:Contributions/2.98.77.121|2.98.77.121]] 20:08, 22 November 2025 (UTC)
:::Concrete is now an actual thing in minecraft. It's color is basically solid, So it's great for building. [[User:DollarStoreBa'al|--'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]]]] ([[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al|talk]]) 00:12, 23 November 2025 (UTC)

Do we make this a table? This comic seems perfect for a table. Maybe 'layer', whether it's real or not, and explanation? [[User:DollarStoreBa'al|--'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]]]] ([[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al|talk]]) 01:36, 22 November 2025 (UTC)
:I'll try to work on a a table (given that someone else doesn't beat me to the chase). Also-what happened to your sig? '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 06:31, 22 November 2025 (UTC)
::I was pondering a ";term:definition" approach, and someone beat me to it (but without the definition-indent) and I ran my changes with it. I don't think a table would need more than two columns (excluding "Real?", being "Yes", "No" or "Technically Yes/No, '''but...'''"), so, with the predicted division of vertical space in a table, I think I'd stick with the '''header'''+explanation of the ";:" method. (Can always add a Real/Not Real {{template|Yes}}/{{template|No}}/{{template|Maybe}}-''like'' appending/prepending note to the term-header...) It's not really going to need sortable-table use, etc. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.236.186|82.132.236.186]] 17:26, 22 November 2025 (UTC)

Should reference somewhere that Balrogs having wings is controversial to begin with (see here)[https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Balrogs/Wings] [[Special:Contributions/2601:241:8002:3E0:89D3:137:DFC1:D5B4|2601:241:8002:3E0:89D3:137:DFC1:D5B4]] 04:41, 22 November 2025 (UTC)
:Hadn't read this, when I puut my own thing about it in there. The actual "did they have wings?" bit, in the {{w|Balrog}} page I linked to a section of, is buried within a multiparagraph section, so ''maybe'' your link is better (or a better one in that part, straight-link Balrog on the first mention for the general wikipedia entry).
:Certainly, when I was young (long before Wikipedia, and indeed the Web... Not sure when alt.fan.tolkien started, but I didn't have usenet access before I had academic internet access, but it was already an FAQ when I finally got into that scene), the questions were:
:#So, did a (or 'the', or ''any'', depending on tye context) Balrog have actual wings?
:#If they did, why? Given they were subterranean denizens? (Probably not the exact words, maybe "...living underground".)
:#So how could it be made to fall like that? (Typical answer: "A wizard did it"... Namely Gandalf kept it falling/distracted. Because that was the point.)
:...I may check to see if the collected wisdom of the current ubiquitous fan-led website has any better answers than we would come up with, after our countless geek-hours of discussion after/before/during tabletop RPGing (even if it wasn't LOTR-based, someone could easily have mentioned the balrog, in the context of a viking attack over a narrow bridge, or whatever). [[Special:Contributions/82.132.236.186|82.132.236.186]] 17:26, 22 November 2025 (UTC)
::Balrogs are not naturally subterranean. They're Maiar, just like Sauron and Gandalf. They used to fight in wars and do other evil stuff on the surface. [[User:DL Draco Rex|DL Draco Rex]] ([[User talk:DL Draco Rex|talk]]) 15:33, 23 November 2025 (UTC)

Actually, coring previous drilling equipment ''can'' happen. The southern German town of [https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebungsrisse_in_Staufen_im_Breisgau Staufen] suffered a geothermal drilling gone wrong (they inserted ground water into anhydrite, which swelled, causing the town to rise). During the investigations, the original drilling equipment was hit in the new core, showing the errors made in the first place. [[Special:Contributions/2001:16B8:A875:DC00:3068:165E:B396:DE72|2001:16B8:A875:DC00:3068:165E:B396:DE72]] 07:33, 22 November 2025 (UTC)

Side comment on the header saying "typical": coming to the surface on land instead of water is [https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/aset1o/places_where_you_could_actually_make_an_earth/ extremely unlikely], as we were taught years ago by Ze Frank's "If The Earth Were a Sandwich" video series. Look it up. [[User:Jonesey|Jonesey]] ([[User talk:Jonesey|talk]]) 16:24, 23 November 2025 (UTC)

The explanation talks about how the Nether is essentially Minecraft hell - it might be worth mentioning how the comic might be referencing going so deep you find hell. That might also coincide with the Balrog wing (do they live in hell?), something something digging too deep, but I lack the requisite LOTR knowledge to make that connection for real [[User:R128|R128]] ([[User talk:R128|talk]]) 13:50, 24 November 2025 (UTC)
: Also, they've ended up coring another person's house, and as we all know, hell is other people...
: Oh, and there's a bit of water main in there, and the main is, of course, high water. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 14:30, 24 November 2025 (UTC)

Probably the {{w|Kola Superdeep Borehole}} should be mentioned.[[User:Rps|Rps]] ([[User talk:Rps|talk]]) 16:44, 24 November 2025 (UTC)
: This also has a related comic [[1330: Kola Borehole]] --[[Special:Contributions/134.102.219.31|134.102.219.31]] 16:53, 24 November 2025 (UTC)

Talk:3136: Pull

2025-09-02T11:25:20Z

134.102.219.31:

Australia reference????? /s [[User:TheTrainsKid|TheTrainsKid]] ([[User talk:TheTrainsKid|talk]]) 05:41, 2 September 2025 (UTC)

I [[3135|recently learned]] that earth has weird gravity effects caused by a big moon orbiting near the surface. These are probably also barely measurable, except e.g., big bodies of water --[[Special:Contributions/134.102.219.31|134.102.219.31]] 11:23, 2 September 2025 (UTC)

Talk:3136: Pull

2025-09-02T11:23:04Z

134.102.219.31:

Australia reference????? /s [[User:TheTrainsKid|TheTrainsKid]] ([[User talk:TheTrainsKid|talk]]) 05:41, 2 September 2025 (UTC)

I [[3135|recently learned]] that earth has weird gravity effects caused by a big moon orbiting near the surface. --[[Special:Contributions/134.102.219.31|134.102.219.31]] 11:23, 2 September 2025 (UTC)

Talk:3131: Cesium

2025-08-20T15:31:26Z

134.102.219.31:

I think that's called a recipe for disaster. NOTE: I am also 104.225.172.143. [[Special:Contributions/138.43.101.123|138.43.101.123]] 14:36, 20 August 2025 (UTC)
: No, ''I'' am 104.225.172.143! [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 15:09, 20 August 2025 (UTC)

My best recipe comes with a Notice to Mariners [[User:Hcs|Hcs]] ([[User talk:Hcs|talk]]) 14:45, 20 August 2025 (UTC)

I added a transcript. Hopefully it's okay. [[Special:Contributions/104.225.172.143|104.225.172.143]] 14:54, 20 August 2025 (UTC)

A gram of gold runs on the order of ~$100 USD as of writing; a gram of cs-137 looks to be in the millions~billions range. --[[Special:Contributions/158.91.163.9|158.91.163.9]] 14:55, 20 August 2025 (UTC)
:Caesium contamination usually is caused by nuclear accidents (or atmospheric nuclear weapon tests) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesium-137#Environmental_contamination. It is unlikely that someone acquired pure Cs-137 and then "accidentally" contaminated the shrimp with that. --[[Special:Contributions/134.102.219.31|134.102.219.31]] 15:31, 20 August 2025 (UTC)

Bothering the NSA shouldn't be hard, just write some of their secrets on a cake (with frosting is optional) and post it online. [[Special:Contributions/212.101.26.209|212.101.26.209]] 14:57, 20 August 2025 (UTC)

What would IMO do, revoke your math license? [[Special:Contributions/216.73.162.10|216.73.162.10]] 15:22, 20 August 2025 (UTC)
: They have numerous penalties at their disposal. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 15:27, 20 August 2025 (UTC)

3115: Unsolved Physics Problems

2025-07-15T08:29:10Z

134.102.219.31: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 3115
| date = July 14, 2025
| title = Unsolved Physics Problems
| image = unsolved_physics_problems_2x.png
| imagesize = 699x422px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = 'Tin pest' makes more sense to me. Tin just doesn't want to be locked down in a shape like that. I get it. But why would any metal want to grow hair??
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created recently. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

This comic is a sequel to comic [[2529: Unsolved Math Problems]], which follows the same format.

The first question is understanding different models of spacetime. Each possibility represents a different model: time being a background parameter is how we usually think of time, where time is always passing at a constant rate. Time being a dynamic aspect of spacetime refers to the consideration of spacetime being a four-dimensional space, where time can pass faster or slower for different observers. Time being an emergent phenomenon refers to a recent theory, where time is actually just space being manipulated, like code being the functioning of physical hardware.

The second question discusses a precise experiment to understand a specific phenomenon. Essentially, the problem is that how we understand the process gives an answer for how much germanium we expect, but what we see in real life doesn't match up with our calculations.

The third question discusses a phenomenon that sounds extremely strange at first sight: hair is usually thought of as an organic property, and spontaneous change in a block of metal would not be a typical problem one would expect.

All true – see https://nepp.nasa.gov/whisker/reference/tech_papers/brusse2003-zinc-whisker-awareness.pdf

==Transcript==

{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
: The Three Types of Unsolved Physics Problem

: Vague
: [A Feynman diagram of two particles interacting via the electromagnetic force is to the right of Cueball. The diagram is drawn on a curved surface]
: Cueball: What is the nature of time in quantum gravity? Is it a background parameter, a dynamic aspect of spacetime, or an emergent phenomenon?

: Precise
: [A scientific instrument and a nuclear reaction equation of gallium-71 becoming germanium-71 are to Megan's left]
: Megan: Why does the ''S.A.G.E.'' Gallium Neutrino Capture Experiment produce only 75% as much germanium as predicted?

: Cursed
: [A rectangular block of zinc, with whiskers growing out of it, is visible to the right of White Hat]
: White Hat: Why does some metal randomly grow hairs?
: White Hat: It keeps causing short circuits and we have no idea what's going on.
: Voice from off-panel: Is this a joke?
: White Hat: No! Please help!

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

Talk:3115: Unsolved Physics Problems

2025-07-15T08:25:57Z

134.102.219.31:

I didn't notice that the linked paper on zink whiskers was from NASA at first, but it was immediately apparent that an American wrote it... The style is super American. "Oh, no! People who ''chose'' to read this paper won't get it unless I write really big and '''EMPHASISE''' words." It's a very "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" style of naming margarine, so to say. [[User:Kapten-N|Kapten-N]] ([[User talk:Kapten-N|talk]]) 07:23, 15 July 2025 (UTC)
:The linked pdf is not a scientific paper, but a slide presentation. I think especially for safety-related presentations it is not uncommon to go a bit over the top with "be aware that this seemingly harmless effect can have serious consequences" -- especially if the risk is seemingly low, but the possible damage is really high. --[[Special:Contributions/134.102.219.31|134.102.219.31]] 08:25, 15 July 2025 (UTC)

Talk:3110: Global Ranking

2025-07-03T13:14:34Z

134.102.219.31:

I'm 1300 rated on chess.com, and it says I'm better than 93% of all players. Why, then, am I still called "Intermediate?" Shouldn't being better than 93% of players make you advanced? [[Special:Contributions/67.160.217.239|67.160.217.239]] 03:53, 3 July 2025 (UTC)
:Probably because Magnus Carlsen is 2839 in live rating right now and has been 2889.2 is 1300 chess.com even equivalent to FIDE 1300? I've been 1810s Lichess without the question mark for provisional rating which is equivalent to 1410s to 1510s chess.com and haven't even studied much chess. Like if someone plays a King or Queen's Gambit against me I don't know what to do beyond general opening principles. I know it's futile and bad to try to keep the Queen's Gambit pawn and both Queen's Gambit Accepted and Declined are good moves but I'm probably making a move at least as suboptimal as the Philidor Defense within the next few moves. I know Nf6 is most common top level response to 1d4 but I don't know what to do after that I seem to do better if I respond Double Queens Pawn Game. I don't know how to play or defend 1c4 I just know 1c4's not bad and can cause a reversed Sicilian. I sometimes have to resign endgames someone of my rating should win cause I don't know what to do and don't find out I'm fucked till after I do the fucked move. I independently rediscovered (not from being fucked like how I learned of Blackburne) some massive moves that crush folks as high as "defends weak tricks like Scholars" but they don't fall for it above a certain rating. Some Internet players are really bad. Not so much on lichess but on another site vs the lowest rateds I could eat rooks through fianchettoes without bishops or undefended b2/7 and g2/7 pawns or O-O-O check to knight fork king+rook then they move to the only square where I could then knight fork their K+other R even though every other legal move was far better crazy bad play like that. I think that was the guy who said he was "high on weed lol". The worst players will let you do things like queen to the side then fork K+R through the bishopless fianchetto (it's sometimes copying your i.e. g3 without knowing should fianchetto Bg2. It's really fun when you advance all pawns to same rank and they do they same 2 ranks over even though both are bad plans then you wreck them cause they're rated hundreds at best. Then I miss stronger play and go back to higher rated opponents. [[Special:Contributions/2600:387:15:4B31:0:0:0:6|2600:387:15:4B31:0:0:0:6]] 05:14, 3 July 2025 (UTC)
:The rating system used at chess.com is a variant of the {{w|Elo_rating_system|Elo rating system}} in use in organized chess since 1960. "Elo ratings measure the results within a closed pool of players rather than absolute skill." In the years BIE (Before the Internet Era), that "closed pool of players" consisted of those who participated in tournaments, a small subset of people who play chess. The ratings attempt to identify players of approximately equal skill level, useful for such things as tournament seedings or groupings, and it makes sense that the numbers established when the system was 'trained' primarily on tournament players have persisted to the present, despite the massive increase in the number of players in the pool, most of whom are of low skill. Thus, a 1300 ranking is "intermediate" in terms of tournament players, but in the 93rd percentile of all players. [[Special:Contributions/2605:59C8:160:DB08:A0C4:5767:423F:40FA|2605:59C8:160:DB08:A0C4:5767:423F:40FA]] 05:50, 3 July 2025 (UTC)
:Because you're intermediate between the people who are better than you and the people who are worse than you.[[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 08:59, 3 July 2025 (UTC)

Unless the used chess platform prohibits users to create multiple accounts (and very effectively enforces that) and removes deceased players, it is very likely that there are fewer than 7,144,999 real persons ranked above Cueball. --[[Special:Contributions/134.102.219.31|134.102.219.31]] 13:13, 3 July 2025 (UTC)

Talk:3110: Global Ranking

2025-07-03T13:13:31Z

134.102.219.31:

I'm 1300 rated on chess.com, and it says I'm better than 93% of all players. Why, then, am I still called "Intermediate?" Shouldn't being better than 93% of players make you advanced? [[Special:Contributions/67.160.217.239|67.160.217.239]] 03:53, 3 July 2025 (UTC)
:Probably because Magnus Carlsen is 2839 in live rating right now and has been 2889.2 is 1300 chess.com even equivalent to FIDE 1300? I've been 1810s Lichess without the question mark for provisional rating which is equivalent to 1410s to 1510s chess.com and haven't even studied much chess. Like if someone plays a King or Queen's Gambit against me I don't know what to do beyond general opening principles. I know it's futile and bad to try to keep the Queen's Gambit pawn and both Queen's Gambit Accepted and Declined are good moves but I'm probably making a move at least as suboptimal as the Philidor Defense within the next few moves. I know Nf6 is most common top level response to 1d4 but I don't know what to do after that I seem to do better if I respond Double Queens Pawn Game. I don't know how to play or defend 1c4 I just know 1c4's not bad and can cause a reversed Sicilian. I sometimes have to resign endgames someone of my rating should win cause I don't know what to do and don't find out I'm fucked till after I do the fucked move. I independently rediscovered (not from being fucked like how I learned of Blackburne) some massive moves that crush folks as high as "defends weak tricks like Scholars" but they don't fall for it above a certain rating. Some Internet players are really bad. Not so much on lichess but on another site vs the lowest rateds I could eat rooks through fianchettoes without bishops or undefended b2/7 and g2/7 pawns or O-O-O check to knight fork king+rook then they move to the only square where I could then knight fork their K+other R even though every other legal move was far better crazy bad play like that. I think that was the guy who said he was "high on weed lol". The worst players will let you do things like queen to the side then fork K+R through the bishopless fianchetto (it's sometimes copying your i.e. g3 without knowing should fianchetto Bg2. It's really fun when you advance all pawns to same rank and they do they same 2 ranks over even though both are bad plans then you wreck them cause they're rated hundreds at best. Then I miss stronger play and go back to higher rated opponents. [[Special:Contributions/2600:387:15:4B31:0:0:0:6|2600:387:15:4B31:0:0:0:6]] 05:14, 3 July 2025 (UTC)
:The rating system used at chess.com is a variant of the {{w|Elo_rating_system|Elo rating system}} in use in organized chess since 1960. "Elo ratings measure the results within a closed pool of players rather than absolute skill." In the years BIE (Before the Internet Era), that "closed pool of players" consisted of those who participated in tournaments, a small subset of people who play chess. The ratings attempt to identify players of approximately equal skill level, useful for such things as tournament seedings or groupings, and it makes sense that the numbers established when the system was 'trained' primarily on tournament players have persisted to the present, despite the massive increase in the number of players in the pool, most of whom are of low skill. Thus, a 1300 ranking is "intermediate" in terms of tournament players, but in the 93rd percentile of all players. [[Special:Contributions/2605:59C8:160:DB08:A0C4:5767:423F:40FA|2605:59C8:160:DB08:A0C4:5767:423F:40FA]] 05:50, 3 July 2025 (UTC)
:Because you're intermediate between the people who are better than you and the people who are worse than you.[[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 08:59, 3 July 2025 (UTC)

Unless the used chess platform prohibits users to create multiple accounts (and very effectively enforces that) and removes deceased players, it is very likely that there are less than 7,144,999 real persons ranked above Cueball. --[[Special:Contributions/134.102.219.31|134.102.219.31]] 13:13, 3 July 2025 (UTC)

Talk:3109: Dehumidifier

2025-07-01T11:30:29Z

134.102.219.31: DHMO

Having network access can have some use for a dehumidifier, e.g. to remotely set the target humidity level, or get notifications when the water tank needs to get emptied. But having devices that depend on a specific app or a vendor-provided remote service risks having a useless device after a while ... --[[Special:Contributions/134.102.219.31|134.102.219.31]] 13:19, 30 June 2025 (UTC)
:Humidifiers typically have a physical control to set a target humidity level, and even the most basic models turn off when the water tank gets full. Since humans can't really tell the difference between 40-60%, which is the range of most humidifiers, there is no need for a remote control to change the humidity levels on a machine. As for the water tank, regular use of the humidifier will teach the user about how long it can run before turning off and needing to be emptied. {{unsigned ip|136.62.110.93|13:58, 30 June 2025 (UTC)}}
::Though there might be a device that attempts to do [[2753: Air Handler|both jobs]], note that this is a {{w|dehumidifier}} (as you functionally refer to) and not ''necessarily'' also a capable {{w|humidifier}} (as you namechecked it). [[Special:Contributions/92.23.2.228|92.23.2.228]] 17:53, 30 June 2025 (UTC)

::: i had a good laugh at this comic, as i am designing dehumidifiers and they include wireless connectivity.....but there are reasons for this. But is more for monitoring, like e.g. in a water damage case the resoration company can see if the room is dry without having a technician drive to the location.
:::this comic will end up on our wall, together with [http://https://xkcd.com/242/ xkcd:242 The Difference]--[[Special:Contributions/84.46.99.18|84.46.99.18]] 06:41, 1 July 2025 (UTC)

"if they discover a new kind of water" - There are several varieties of heavy water (common Hydrogen deuterium, tritium; common oxygen, various other isotopes), not to mention several [wiki:Phases of ice|phases of ice]. [[Special:Contributions/64.201.132.210|64.201.132.210]] 20:31, 30 June 2025 (UTC)
:I restored the part about phases of ice, because dehumidifiers do deal with ice (when icing up, and if the ambient temperature gets low). Mostly put it back because I thought a mention of {{w|ice-nine}} would be fun. [[Special:Contributions/2600:387:4:803:0:0:0:B2|2600:387:4:803:0:0:0:B2]] 20:42, 30 June 2025 (UTC)

Is the salesman Hairy? Seems similar but not quite enough hair, I'm not sure who he's supposed to be --[[User:Darth Vader|Darth Vader]] ([[User talk:Darth Vader|talk]]) 21:17, 30 June 2025 (UTC)
: I'd say it's him.--[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 22:19, 30 June 2025 (UTC)

hydrogen peroxide.--[[User:Bb777|me, hi]] ([[User talk:Bb777|talk]]) 01:12, 1 July 2025 (UTC)
:It's made of the same elements, but it isn't water. [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 02:29, 1 July 2025 (UTC)
:Hydrogen peroxide is not to be confused with {{w|DHMO|Dihydrogen Monoxide}} --[[Special:Contributions/134.102.219.31|134.102.219.31]] 11:30, 1 July 2025 (UTC)

Ice-nine is mentioned once in the trivia section. Did the user that added that mean to say ice-IX, were they unaware that ice-nine is fictional, or was it meant to be a joke? I thought that any "jokes" in the explanation were supposed to be technically factual, such as adding [citation needed] to a plainly obvious statement. Please forgive me for asking this stupid question. [[Special:Contributions/47.14.13.170|47.14.13.170]] 01:22, 1 July 2025 (UTC)
:Yes, it's supposed to all be factual. I've updated that. [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 02:29, 1 July 2025 (UTC)

Talk:3109: Dehumidifier

2025-06-30T13:19:40Z

134.102.219.31:

Talk:3104: Tukey

2025-06-19T14:52:05Z

134.102.219.31: Further example of age differences

i dont get this comic :( [[User:Broseph|Broseph]] ([[User talk:Broseph|talk]]) 20:42, 18 June 2025 (UTC)\

The main panel makes a joke that the figure of 110,000 years is precise but wildly wrong while that Tukey's birthday is "sometime this week" is vague but basically correct. The alt-text is most likely true (I haven't checked) because of leap years.
: I think you'll find it is 110.000, not 110,000 [[Special:Contributions/1.146.44.41|1.146.44.41]] 23:54, 18 June 2025 (UTC)
:: Maybe they live in that country mentioned in [[3102|the alt text of two comics ago]]. [[Special:Contributions/2601:647:8500:1E09:D4EE:315E:E684:A802|2601:647:8500:1E09:D4EE:315E:E684:A802]] 02:13, 19 June 2025 (UTC)
::: yes {facepalm}. I think I'll find I need to increase font size everywhere yet again so that "." Looks different from "," because I read 110 thousand and not the correct of 110 point 000. Not sure if the joke is different and is funny either way. It's ibuprofen* getting old but Saul Goodman because of the alternative. [[Special:Contributions/2607:FB91:164E:4264:ACA5:3DBE:8045:7E6B|2607:FB91:164E:4264:ACA5:3DBE:8045:7E6B]] 05:55, 19 June 2025 (UTC)
::: * Spellcheck suggested "ibuprofen." I don't know why or what I typed to. Love you [[Special:Contributions/2607:FB91:164E:4264:ACA5:3DBE:8045:7E6B|2607:FB91:164E:4264:ACA5:3DBE:8045:7E6B]] 06:00, 19 June 2025 (UTC)

The one day difference is probably because of the rules of leap years. Most century years (like 1800, 1900, 2100) do not have a leap year, but 2000 did have a leap year. Leap year placement is done to approximate Earth's ratio of 365.2422 days per year. Oh, wait. Tukey (1915-2000) and Randall (1984-2094) both lived through the 2000 leap year. So it must just be because Randall was born shortly after Feb 29 of 1984, whereas Tukey was born shortly before Feb 29 of 1916. So Tukey would have had 28 leap days vs. Randall's 27 leap days on their 110 year birthdays. [[Special:Contributions/134.134.139.69|134.134.139.69]] 21:09, 18 June 2025 (UTC)
:I hadn't read this, before I edited in my version of the explanation (and a few more things surrounding it). Yes, it's basically where the "spans of four years" lie within the whole 110 width. Tukey had one soon (within a year) of his 0th birthday and another just in time (just more than a year) before the 110th birthday. It'd work the same for any year-span that started on the same day on any similar ''Y mod 4'' type of year (1915, also 1911 or 1924), so long as you didn't let the range start before 1900 or finish later than 2100. It gives the same result for 1918+-4n, too, for the same 16th June date in other respects. But shift to the same date in 1916(+-4n) or 1917(+-4n), and it traverses one less leap-day. You can move the date around, of course. If you keep it the right side of the the last/Feb->1st/Mar boundary, as you do for Randall's DOB, then it's still faithfull (1984=1916+4n, where n=17). If you jump back into January or February, it'll become an honourary member of the prior year's thing, but not applicable.
:Anyway, Randall's Leap-pattern is two years adrift from Tukeys, which guarantees that his leap-day-count is one different. One way or another. (A one-year mod-difference would half the time be "in the same pairing" and the other half be "in the other pairing".)
:Though that only applies for relative ranges that are both entirely within-and-inclusive of 1/Mar/1900 to 28/Feb/2100. You'd have to add another Zeller-like term to the [Y mod 4] thing to 'adjust' if you went further out, and may be able to find two year-ranges that had daycounts ''two'' different from each other, I guess, as well as ones that might be the same even though being on mod4+2... But I leave that as an excercise to data-divers wanting to go beyond merely the two indidividuals that the comic specifies. (And don't forget the Julian-to-Gregorian conversion scheme/timing, if you start to encroach upon dates that (for a given locale) are further complicated by a 10-13 day (2, 3, 0 or 1) mod-shuffle. Not including those (e.g. Lithuania, etc) who jumped back out to Julian 'temporarily' again, just to [[2867: DateTime|further complicate matters]]. Ignoring any possibility of the non-400-year manifestation of the 100-year glitch that would warrant a minor additional detail) [[Special:Contributions/92.23.2.228|92.23.2.228]] 23:07, 18 June 2025 (UTC)

Note that this is not saying 110,000 (1.1e5) years, but 110.000 (1.1e2), which is in fact the correct number of years. The value has three digits after the decimal point to imply sub-year precision, which is seldom meaningful with birthdays. [[Special:Contributions/2403:5803:BF48:0:0:0:0:1|2403:5803:BF48:0:0:0:0:1]] 21:19, 18 June 2025 (UTC)
:0.001 years is about 8 hours, so you do need that many digits to be precise to the day. But then he approximates with "sometime this week" -- a week is about 0.02 years. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 21:33, 18 June 2025 (UTC)

Wow 🤯 [[no name|no name]] 02:00, 19 June 2025 (CEST)

One day younger, but exactly the same age in sidereal years (or epochal seconds). [[User:Nitpicking|Nitpicking]] ([[User talk:Nitpicking|talk]]) 01:29, 19 June 2025 (UTC)

For a moment there I thought that 110.000 was a binary number, chunked every three digits to make it easier to convert to octal. But the number comes to 48 decimal (60 octal), which is clearly not enough for Tukey's age! --[[User:Itub|Itub]] ([[User talk:Itub|talk]]) 11:12, 19 June 2025 (UTC)

Tukey gave us a bit of weird nomenclature for mathematical constructs, such as a cepstrum of quefencies. He caused consternation for editors and proofreaders. (My spell-check thingee wants cepstrum to be strumpet, but I shan't change it.) [[Special:Contributions/173.188.194.66|173.188.194.66]] 13:27, 19 June 2025 (UTC)

Two persons born the same day can have an age difference of almost 50 hours, if person A was born at 0:00 on {{w|Line Islands}} and person B at 23:59:59 on {{w|Howland Island}} or {{w|Baker Island}} (the latter two are currently uninhabited, however). Yes, measuring time of birth with second precision is debatable ... --[[Special:Contributions/134.102.219.31|134.102.219.31]] 14:52, 19 June 2025 (UTC)