explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

3067: SawStart

2025-05-21T12:23:07Z

141.101.98.235: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 3067
| date = March 24, 2025
| title = SawStart
| image = sawstart.png
| imagesize = 290x313px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Unfortunately, SawStart is one-use-only. Once started, the blade cannot be stopped, and must be replaced with a fresh blade while the running one is carefully disposed of.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Language is too informal.}}
{{w|SawStop}} is an American {{w|table saw}} manufacturer whose products are designed to increase safety. Table saws are extremely dangerous tools due to their rapidly spinning {{w|circular saw}} blades protruding from the table surface. Accidental contact with the blade can result in severe injury or death. Even a stopped blade can pose a risk if the saw is not properly powered off and unplugged, or if the blade remains sharp.

SawStop saws feature an automatic brake that activates when the blade detects contact with human skin. According to the company, the system stops the blade within 5 milliseconds by releasing an aluminum brake block, after which the blade instantly retracts below the table. This mechanism is intended to prevent serious injury in the event of contact.

Here, [[Black Hat]] takes the concept of a safety-enhancing product and reverses it, creating one that is far more dangerous. His fictional invention mimics the SawStop's ability to detect skin contact, but instead of stopping the blade, it uses an explosive charge to ''start'' a stationary blade. This would be extremely hazardous, in triggering a rapid spin-up exactly when someone touches the blade. The comic suggests that it might even work when the tool is turned off and unplugged, which is typically considered a safe state. The explosive acceleration could cause severe injuries, and the device provides no functional advantage. Its only purpose is malicious, which is presumably why it's "less popular."

{{w|Coffman engine starter|Explosive starters}} have historically been used in older piston aircraft and some {{w|Field Marshall#Starting|tractors}} to rapidly start engines when electric starters weren’t practical. This method is still used in some modern aircraft, such as the [https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/121480/ B-52 bomber].

The title text references the fact that the SawStop brake mechanism is single-use. Once triggered, both the brake cartridge and the saw blade are damaged and must be replaced — though this is a small price to pay compared to losing a finger.{{Citation needed}} The fictional "SawStart" is also single-use, but in its case, the result is even worse: the blade becomes unstoppable, defying the second law of thermodynamics (and possibly several others). The comic suggests this could be the result of a collaboration between Black Hat and [[Beret Guy]]'s mysterious business ventures. Since the spinning blade cannot be stopped, it must be replaced while still in motion — an obviously dangerous and impractical process. Even disposal would be hazardous, as the blade could destroy any container it's placed in.

A similar concept, subverting a safety feature, is explored in [[2876: Range Safety]], where a range safety officer is accompanied by a "range danger officer."

==Transcript==
:[A table with a table saw stands behind Black Hat who gestures to the table while facing Megan and Cueball. There is a label on the side of the table, a logo of a circular saw blade, with the first part of a word inside the blade:]
:SawStart
:Black Hat: When the saw detects contact with skin, an explosive charge starts the blade spinning at full speed within a few milliseconds.

:[Caption below the panel:]
:SawStop's less-popular competitor

==Trivia==
In theory, such a system could be useful on a futuristic mechanized melee weapon (like "[[wikia:w:c:warhammer40k:Chainsword|chainswords]]" from ''{{w|Warhammer 40,000}}''). In that case, the saw would start spinning as soon as it hits the enemy, removing the need to allow time for it to spin up. On top of that, the saw is impossible to stop, and will continue to rip and shred any enemies in contact until the saw breaks. Such a combat disk saw may need to be redesigned so that it is activated by armor and flesh alike.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]

2910: The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

2024-03-22T13:05:57Z

141.101.98.235: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 2910
| date = March 22, 2024
| title = The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
| image = the_wreck_of_the_edmund_fitzgerald_2x.png
| imagesize = 463x672px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = You know that asteroid that almost destroyed Earth in the 90s? Turns out the whole thing was secretly created by Michael Bay, who then PAID Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck to look heroic while blowing it up!
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by ONE OF THE FBI'S MOST WANTED, FOR CRIMES AGAINST SHIPPING - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

The comic features a character identifiable as a {{w|minstrel}}, {{w|bard}} or {{w|Folk music|folk singer}}, performing a {{w|narrative song}} on a jetty. The words appear to recount the fate of the {{w|SS Edmund Fitzgerald}}, a famously wrecked vessel and thus seemingly an ideal subject for a musical retelling in a traditional way that is often found in the form of a {{w|sea shanty}} and tells of events familiar to those who associate with ships.

The words of the song start off very much in the manner of such a nostalgic recounting, but soon becomes a direct reference to the art of songwriting itself. Rather than describing in song how a disaster occured, it turns out to be a description of how a disaster occured for ''the sake of'' a song.

The reason for sinking is still unknown, but it's speculated that her hull broke up in the rough waters of the Great Lakes. This xkcd is implying that the ''real'' reason for her sinking is that {{w|Gordon Lightfoot|a songwriter}} bribed a mechanic to intentionally engineer her sinking and give him sufficient material for {{w|The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald|a new song}}.

As a punchline, the verse goes on to reveal that another even greater {{w|Sinking of the Titanic|maritime disaster}} had already occured for the sake of a {{w|Titanic (1997 film)|film}}. The title text continues this particular cycle by suggesting that an even bigger potential disaster was orchestrated {{tvtropes|RecycledInSpace|in space}}, as the 'real life' basis for {{w|Armageddon (1998 film)|yet another film}}.

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

:[Cueball is holding a guitar and singing on a pier.]
:The ship was the pride
:of the American side
:It was due to set
:sail for Cleveland
:As the big freighters go,
:it was bigger than most
:With a crew and good
:captain well seasoned

:But taking a walk on
:the shore by the dock
:Was a songwriter named
:Gordon Lightfoot
:He was humming a tune
:but it didn't have words
:For it's challenging
:trying to write good

:Poor Gordon sought glory
:but needed a story
:His career in folk
:music imperiled
:He mulled over this as
:he watched them do work
:On the hull of the
:''Edmund Fitzgerald''

:Perhaps it was wrong,
:what he did for a song
:He should never have
:bribed that mechanic
:But his maritime crimes
:are no worse than the time
:Young James Cameron
:sank the ''Titanic''

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Songs]]

Talk:1555: Exoplanet Names 2

2015-07-24T13:39:15Z

141.101.98.235: planet of the apes

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znxFrgql5dc "This Land"] is a ''Firefly'' reference. [[User:Keavon|Keavon]] ([[User talk:Keavon|talk]]) 05:11, 24 July 2015 (UTC)

Is there a pun I'm missing by spelling Kevin Costner as "Kostner"? [[Special:Contributions/198.41.241.7|198.41.241.7]]

.. I almost feel like that titletext gives enough reason for there to be (some) pages about the [[what_if?|''What If?'']] series, but ehhhh... [[User:Pixali|Pixali]] ([[User talk:Pixali|talk]]|[[Special:Contributions/Pixali|contribs]]) 05:02, 24 July 2015 (UTC)

What is with Kepler-283? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.214.137|108.162.214.137]] 05:09, 24 July 2015 (UTC)
:283b is the phonetic spelling for Uranus (your-a-nus) and 283c is the phonetic spelling for Uranus (your-ay-nus) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.77|141.101.104.77]] 05:33, 24 July 2015 (UTC)

== Novella ==

I'm not 100% sure what "Novella" refers to, aside from the dictionary definition of the word (and if that's the case I'm unsure of the context), but in case it's not widely-known on this wiki, I want to suggest the possibility that it's a tribute to the Novella brothers, who are among the co-hosts of the popular science podcast The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe. - [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.175|108.162.241.175]] 04:43, 24 July 2015 (UTC)

:Seems like a cool podcast, sadly I don't have time to listen to 10 years Witt of podcasts. Any specific ones I should listen to and where should I start for new ones? {{unsigned ip|173.245.55.63}}
: Considering the sex-themed names Novella it is grouped with. I will assume it is a joke on 60/70's exploitation/B-movies, some of which had names or leadcharacters named something..-ella. In this case the prefix is just particularly confusing ;) [[Special:Contributions/188.114.110.47|188.114.110.47]] 08:51, 24 July 2015 (UTC)

== A$aplanet ==

Is a pun on the rap group {{w|A$AP Mob}} and their most prominient member {{w|A$AP Rocky}}.
: Included that possibility. Thanks. Didn't know of A$AP, before. [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 13:21, 24 July 2015 (UTC)

== Planet of the Apes (disambiguation) ==
I think the suggestion here is to actually put the "(disambiguation)" in the name of the planet, thereby creating a problem in the wikipedia entry, since [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planet_of_the_Apes_%28disambiguation%29 there's already a wikipedia page with that title]. They would have to create a meta-disambiguation page, which is why this is funny. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.235|141.101.98.235]] 13:39, 24 July 2015 (UTC)

1494: Insurance

2015-03-05T07:33:20Z

141.101.98.235: /* Lifehacks vs. IT hacks */

{{comic
| number = 1494
| date = March 4, 2015
| title = Insurance
| image = insurance.png
| titletext = LIFEHACKS: You can just take all the luggage off the airport conveyer belt and leave with it. They don't check that it's yours at the door!
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] in this comic, as is often the case, is some sort of programmer or at least logically minded person. He reads through the terms that are handed to him, and finds some sort of loophole. This is a play on the fact that programmers often find loopholes in programs and code, and exploiting them is nothing more than a "cool find" or an interesting idea. More importantly, programmers try to prevent loopholes, which is why it is important to be able to identify them.

The insurance agent foresees this, and explains that this {{w|Life_hacking|"cool hack"}} - which is known as {{w|Insurance_fraud|insurance fraud}} - is illegal. The comparison here is that exploiting a program's faults can be regarded as interesting or fun, while exploiting the faults in a legal document will most certainly result in some sort of legal repercussions.

The insurance agent is also already prepared for the following question - how he knew Cueball would be looking for loopholes, and it's because many programmers visit him.

The title text provides another example: While airport luggage security certainly is exploitable, walking out with ''every'' piece of luggage from the conveyor belt would be easily noticeable and would result in being arrested for theft.

This would appear to be a sequel to [[1469: UV]]

== Lifehacks vs. IT hacks ==

The term hacking in IT is ambiguous and goes from simple code development to "using a {{w|Hack|hack}}". A hack would then refer to a tricky piece of code doing the intended job in a way that the framework or project in which it is inserted was not intended to. To the general public, 'hacking' a system would normally refer to some illegal way of acheiving a goal against the will of the original developers of the system, like getting a copy of all the data available or taking advantage of some unwanted behavior, but a more distinctive term for such an exploitation (maliciously or after an invitation to perform legitimate penetration testing) would be 'cracking'.

This comic is making fun of what IT hacks would look like in real world. Surely, taking many luggages from an airport is technically possible and probably not so difficult, but first, it looks weird, and second, it's also obviously illegal. The weirdness of such behavior is more obvious in real life than in IT.

==Transcript==
[Cueball is standing in front of a desk, which a man sits behind. The man is presumably an insurance agent, and is handing Cueball a paper.]

Insurance agent: Here's a page explaining the terms of your new fire insurance policy.

[Cueball reads the paper.]

Cueball: Hey, what if I -

Insurance agent: And ''here's'' a page explaining that the "cool hack" you just thought of is called "insurance fraud". We already know about it and it's a crime.

Cueball: Oh. Right. How did -

Insurance agent: I see a lot of programmers here.

{{comic discussion}}