explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:2461: 90's Kid Space Program

2021-05-11T07:24:22Z

141.101.99.207:

While searching for popper toys in action, I found a figure in a scientific paper. Not sure if it would belong on this page. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326439672_Dynamics_of_viscoelastic_snap-through#pf2 [[User:Pgn674|Pgn674]] ([[User talk:Pgn674|talk]]) 20:15, 10 May 2021 (UTC)

Isn't it also allusion to Kerbal Space Program game? The ship in picture looks similar to game's stock crafts. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.249|162.158.91.249]] 21:05, 10 May 2021 (UTC)
:Possibly? The girders and the capsule look similar, but the green bit looks a little like a Project Orion pusher plate to me. (Or maybe I just like Project Orion too much). [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.229|141.101.99.229]] 21:07, 10 May 2021 (UTC)

:Agree on the Kerbal. Note the KSP in "Kid Space Program". I also thought it had a nod towards Project Orion pusher plate. On an unrelated but fun note: Oxford science blog discusses the mathematics that describe jumping popper snap-through: https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/science-blog/how-do-jumping-popper-toys-work.
[[User:Tomb|Tomb]] ([[User talk:Tomb|talk]]) 21:40, 10 May 2021 (UTC)

The title text may refer to the way that NASA seems stuck in their ways and not willing to innovate, i.e. living in the past. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.249|162.158.91.249]] 21:13, 10 May 2021 (UTC)

I agree with the above suggestion that Kerbal Space Program is part of the joke, KSP is to iconic a acronym for Munroe to ignore, plus, he has mentioned it in other strips.
:Or even "too iconic an acronym". [[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.106|198.41.238.106]] 21:48, 10 May 2021 (UTC)

Is today some sort of special "90's day"? SMBC has a 90s-themed comic as well.[[User:Account|Account]] ([[User talk:Account|talk]]) 21:26, 10 May 2021 (UTC)
: Per http://www.holidays-and-observances.com/may-10.html, it is not. [[User:Piano|Piano]] ([[User talk:Piano|talk]]) 22:22, 10 May 2021 (UTC)

I was squinting hard at the original, trying to understand the connection between a diaphragm (a barrier contraception method), kids, and launching into space. Smth about spermatozoids? Resorted to explainxkcd, and learned that it's some kind of "popper"... Oh, well :)

Interesting… I'm a 90s kid, and I've never even heard of these. I had to come here to figure out what I was looking at. [[User:NoriMori|NoriMori]] ([[User talk:NoriMori|talk]]) 03:00, 11 May 2021 (UTC)
:snap! I thought it was a diaphragm too :o) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.50|108.162.249.50]] 06:05, 11 May 2021 (UTC)
::I would have known what it was if it was a photograph. There's no real sense of scale or texture here, I thought it was some kind of weird parachute like kids used in gym class. -[[Special:Contributions/172.68.57.75|172.68.57.75]] 06:25, 11 May 2021 (UTC)

== How effective would this thing actually be? ==

Obviously it's not going to go to space. But would a popper of this apparent size even be able to fling itself upward at all? Do the mechanics hold up when scaled up that large, or does all the mass and weight of the rubber get in the way? Or something about the physics of how it un-inverts itself? I've seen a few of these things, and they get some impressive height, but they were all pretty small. I found a Youtube video of a guy making some quite large ones (by toy standards), and the amount of height they get seems to go down as the size of the thing goes up.

== This isn't the clearest xkcd ==

So it isn't supposed to be a diaphragm?

[[Special:Contributions/172.69.68.167|172.69.68.167]] 06:51, 11 May 2021 (UTC)

2455: Virus Consulting

2021-04-27T01:45:44Z

141.101.99.207: /* Explanation */ It's the disentangling the increased propagation chances (mjnus the mitigation by vaccines/treatments/isolative measures) that complicates the true per-case fatality issue.

{{comic
| number = 2455
| date = April 26, 2021
| title = Virus Consulting
| image = virus_consulting.png
| titletext = All our teams make an effort to stay optimistic, but I will say that once our virus division saw the vaccine efficacy data, they started asking for payment up front.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a COVID virus. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic imagines a scenario where Ponytail and Black Hat work for a {{w|consulting firm}}, which offers advice about viruses, specifically COVID-19. Ponytail tells a panel of people (the government?) that though they are worried about COVID-19 variants, the fact that the number of people vaccinated is exponentially increasing is a good sign.

The punchline comes when the panel discovers that another client for the firm is the ''viruses'' themselves. Black Hat presents the same graph to the viruses and gives them the opposite message: though COVID-19 variants seem to be exciting to them, vaccination numbers are terrible news to their propagation and survival.

{{w|Variants of SARS-CoV-2|SARS-CoV-2 variants}}, commonly called "COVID variants", have been in the news. The SARS-CoV-2 virus has mutated into many different strains, some of which spread more easily among humans. It is unknown whether the different variants have a greater individual fatality rate. The current SARS-CoV-2 vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna as well as the Regeneron therapeutic monoclonal
antibodies all effectively protect against at least the New York, South African, and U.K. variants according to [https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/22/health/covid-ny-variant-vaccine.html two recent study preprints] released April 22, 2021. Further research and peer review is ongoing.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Ponytail stands in front a chart, labeled "Vaccinations", with an upward-curving line, and several box-and-whisker plots below. She is holding a pointer and speaking to a panel composed of Hairbun, Cueball and Megan]
:Ponytail: Now, I know you're worried about the variants, but this graph should be encouraging.
:Ponytail: Your rollout is going well. The vaccines are good. They work.

:[The comics panels to the left to just show the panel and Ponytail. Ponytail has the pointer to her side.]
:Hairbun: You're just telling us what we want to hear.
:Ponytail: If you think that, you should see the reports from my colleagues who work for COVID.

:[Close-up of Ponytail.]
:Off-screen voice: They work for '''''who??'''''
:Ponytail: Our firm has lots of clients.

:[Black Hat stands in front of the same graph as panel one, and points to it with a pointer. He is speaking to a panel of three anthropomorphized coronaviruses.]
:Caption: Meanwhile...
:Black Hat: Now, I know you're excited about the variants, but this graph should be terrifying.
:Black Hat: We're in real trouble here.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:COVID-19]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]

2450: Post Vaccine Social Scheduling

2021-04-15T18:25:01Z

141.101.99.207: /* Explanation */ Tense mix-up.

{{comic
| number = 2450
| date = April 14, 2021
| title = Post Vaccine Social Scheduling
| image = post_vaccine_social_scheduling.png
| titletext = As if these problems weren't NP-hard enough.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a UNVACCINATED MOVIEGOER. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
The comic shows a timeline of a multitude of (presumably) friends and acquaintances getting their two doses of vaccine. Due to the CDC-recommended delay between shots, as well as few weeks needed to build antibodies from the second shot, planning get-togethers in advance becomes complicated by who is free to meet, or not yet.

The diagram is some form of Scheduling Diagram, maybe akin to a {{w|Gantt chart}}, which helps to coordinate the status of several individual 'processes' (personal vaccination schedules) and demonstrate where dependent activities (meet-ups) are mutually possible.

Eventually, everyone can start getting together, but during the time where some people have only received one dose, or neither dose, or their second dose recently, the scheduling is complicated. The complication is increased by the fact that people who have received one or two doses of vaccine, but haven't gone through the whole waiting period, can be expected to have some protection, but possibly not full protection (as represented by the dashed line). In that case, there's the added question of how important it is that the person be at an event, and how much risk the people involved are willing to tolerate. This may be the reason for the "movie" set, in which all participants will have received both doses, but one will not have completed the final waiting period.

The title text references NP-hardness, a theme that has come up in past comics. {{w|NP-hardness}} describes a particular level of computational difficulty. Scheduling problems are normally NP-hard. But when extra challenges such as having to deal with whether or not people are vaccinated they become even more difficult.

In this case though, {{w|Critical Path}} dependencies seem trivial enough. Events (vertical lozanges across the dot-marked timelines of those included) are trivial to validate as possible for those selected to attend. Fixed events in time can be scanned to show all those allowed to participate at that moment. Movable events can be slid around until (enough of) those hoped to be included are 'valid'. Complications may arise for those whose presence relies upon [[2441|the status of others]] potentially attending, or the need to maintain time between two events (in either order) with part-shared attendees as a precautionary 'cool-down' isolation. It is not obvious that either of these issues factor in, any more than basic scheduling conflicts would.

The third person being scheduled for a movie before being fully vaccinated may be a direct reference to [[2441: IMDb Vaccines]], discussing the number of people that needs to be vaccinated to record a particular scene. Other than each line's identifying portrait (which are not of the Throne Room characters) no explicit age/vulnerability information is given to justify this, presumably the chart's users are aware of the specifics.

CDC guidelines permit vaccinated individuals to visit inside a home or private setting without a mask with one household of unvaccinated people who are not at risk for severe illness. Therefore the movie gathering conforms to CDC recommendations provided that the single unvaccinated person is not at increased risk of severe illness and the movie is in a home or private setting.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
[From top to bottom, there are eleven people standing on the left side of the image: Danish, Cueball #1, Hairbun, Black Hat, Ponytail, Science Girl, White Hat, Hairy, Blondie, Cueball #2, and Megan, with even-numbered characters standing slightly further to the left. Each character’s first and second doses of the vaccine are labelled ① and ②, respectively. The time before each character’s first dose is drawn with a grey solid line; the time between their first dose and after they are fully vaccinated (two weeks after their second dose) is drawn with a grey dashed line; and the time after they are fully vaccinated is drawn with a black solid line. Black Hat, Science Girl, Blondie, Cueball #2, and Megan have all received their first doses prior to the comic’s time frame. Social activities are drawn with a ellipse around the top and bottom members, and each participating character is identified with a large filled-in circle on their timeline. The ellipses are labelled:]

DINNER GAMES MOVIE BIRTHDAY DINNER CABIN

[The events that happen, in chronological order (from left to right), are:

* Cueball #1 receives his first dose;
* Blondie receives her second dose;
* Ponytail receives her first dose;
* Hairy receives his first dose;
* White Hat receives his first dose;
* Danish receives her first dose;
* Black Hat receives his second dose;
* Blondie is fully vaccinated;
* Science Girl receives her second dose;
* Cueball #2 receives his second dose;
* Megan receives her second dose;
* Hairbun receives her first dose (erroneously labelled as ②);
* Ponytail receives her second dose;
* Black Hat is fully vaccinated;
* Black Hat and Blondie go to dinner;
* Danish receives her second dose;
* Cueball #1 receives his second dose;
* Science Girl is fully vaccinated;
* Cueball #2 is fully vaccinated;
* Megan is fully vaccinated;
* Hairy receives his second dose;
* White Hat receives his second dose;
* Science Girl, Blondie, Cueball #2, and Megan play games;
* Ponytail is fully vaccinated;
* Hairbun receives her second dose;
* Hairbun, Black Hat, and Ponytail go to the movies or make a movie (the label is just "Movie");
* Danish is fully vaccinated;
* Cueball #1 is fully vaccinated;
* Hairy is fully vaccinated;
* White Hat is fully vaccinated;
* Danish, Cueball #1, Ponytail, White Hat, and Hairy attend a birthday party;
* Hairbun is fully vaccinated;
* Hairbun and Blondie go to dinner;
* Black Hat, Science Girl, White Hat, Hairy, and Cueball #2 go to a cabin.

Caption below the panel:]

Post-Vaccine Social Scheduling

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category: COVID-19]]
[[Category: COVID-19 vaccine]]
[[Category:Timelines]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Blondie]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Science Girl]]
[[Category: Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Danish]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Black Hat]]

2450: Post Vaccine Social Scheduling

2021-04-15T18:23:43Z

141.101.99.207: /* Explanation */ Missed a trick here, I think.

{{comic
| number = 2450
| date = April 14, 2021
| title = Post Vaccine Social Scheduling
| image = post_vaccine_social_scheduling.png
| titletext = As if these problems weren't NP-hard enough.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a UNVACCINATED MOVIEGOER. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
The comic shows a timeline of a multitude of (presumably) friends and acquaintances getting their two doses of vaccine. Due to the CDC-recommended delay between shots, as well as few weeks needed to build antibodies from the second shot, planning get-togethers in advance becomes complicated by who is free to meet, or not yet.

The diagram is some form of Scheduling Diagram, maybe akin to a {{w|Gantt chart}}, which helps to coordinate the status of several individual 'processes' (personal vaccination schedules) and demonstrate where dependent activities (meet-ups) are mutually possible.

Eventually, everyone can start getting together, but during the time where some people have only received one dose, or neither dose, or their second dose recently, the scheduling is complicated. The complication is increased by the fact that people who have received one or two doses of vaccine, but haven't gone through the whole waiting period, can be expected to have some protection, but possibly not full protection (as represented by the dashed line). In that case, there's the added question of how important it is that the person be at an event, and how much risk the people involved are willing to tolerate. This may be the reason for the "movie" set, in which all participants will have received both doses, but one will not have completed the final waiting period.

The title text references NP-hardness, a theme that has come up in past comics. {{w|NP-hardness}} describes a particular level of computational difficulty. Scheduling problems are normally NP-hard. But when extra challenges such as having to deal with whether or not people are vaccinated they become even more difficult.

In this case though, {{w|Critical Path}} dependencies seem trivial enough. Events (vertical lozanges across the dot-marked timelines of those included) are trivially to validate as possible for those selected to attend. Fixed events in time can be scanned to show all those allowed to participate at that moment. Movable events can be slid around until (enough of) those hoped to be included are 'valid'. Complications may arise for those whose presence relies upon [[2441|the status of others]] potentially attending, or the need to maintain time between two events (in either order) with part-shared attendees as a precautionary 'cool-down' isolation. It is not obvious that either of these issues factor in, any more than basic scheduling conflicts would.

The third person being scheduled for a movie before being fully vaccinated may be a direct reference to [[2441: IMDb Vaccines]], discussing the number of people that needs to be vaccinated to record a particular scene. Other than each line's identifying portrait (which are not of the Throne Room characters) no explicit age/vulnerability information is given to justify this, presumably the chart's users are aware of the specifics.

CDC guidelines permit vaccinated individuals to visit inside a home or private setting without a mask with one household of unvaccinated people who are not at risk for severe illness. Therefore the movie gathering conforms to CDC recommendations provided that the single unvaccinated person is not at increased risk of severe illness and the movie is in a home or private setting.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
[From top to bottom, there are eleven people standing on the left side of the image: Danish, Cueball #1, Hairbun, Black Hat, Ponytail, Science Girl, White Hat, Hairy, Blondie, Cueball #2, and Megan, with even-numbered characters standing slightly further to the left. Each character’s first and second doses of the vaccine are labelled ① and ②, respectively. The time before each character’s first dose is drawn with a grey solid line; the time between their first dose and after they are fully vaccinated (two weeks after their second dose) is drawn with a grey dashed line; and the time after they are fully vaccinated is drawn with a black solid line. Black Hat, Science Girl, Blondie, Cueball #2, and Megan have all received their first doses prior to the comic’s time frame. Social activities are drawn with a ellipse around the top and bottom members, and each participating character is identified with a large filled-in circle on their timeline. The ellipses are labelled:]

DINNER GAMES MOVIE BIRTHDAY DINNER CABIN

[The events that happen, in chronological order (from left to right), are:

* Cueball #1 receives his first dose;
* Blondie receives her second dose;
* Ponytail receives her first dose;
* Hairy receives his first dose;
* White Hat receives his first dose;
* Danish receives her first dose;
* Black Hat receives his second dose;
* Blondie is fully vaccinated;
* Science Girl receives her second dose;
* Cueball #2 receives his second dose;
* Megan receives her second dose;
* Hairbun receives her first dose (erroneously labelled as ②);
* Ponytail receives her second dose;
* Black Hat is fully vaccinated;
* Black Hat and Blondie go to dinner;
* Danish receives her second dose;
* Cueball #1 receives his second dose;
* Science Girl is fully vaccinated;
* Cueball #2 is fully vaccinated;
* Megan is fully vaccinated;
* Hairy receives his second dose;
* White Hat receives his second dose;
* Science Girl, Blondie, Cueball #2, and Megan play games;
* Ponytail is fully vaccinated;
* Hairbun receives her second dose;
* Hairbun, Black Hat, and Ponytail go to the movies or make a movie (the label is just "Movie");
* Danish is fully vaccinated;
* Cueball #1 is fully vaccinated;
* Hairy is fully vaccinated;
* White Hat is fully vaccinated;
* Danish, Cueball #1, Ponytail, White Hat, and Hairy attend a birthday party;
* Hairbun is fully vaccinated;
* Hairbun and Blondie go to dinner;
* Black Hat, Science Girl, White Hat, Hairy, and Cueball #2 go to a cabin.

Caption below the panel:]

Post-Vaccine Social Scheduling

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category: COVID-19]]
[[Category: COVID-19 vaccine]]
[[Category:Timelines]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Blondie]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Science Girl]]
[[Category: Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Danish]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Black Hat]]

Talk:2449: ISS Vaccine

2021-04-13T01:07:06Z

141.101.99.207:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbital_maneuver#Transfer_orbits (it'd be an amazing pun if COVID vaccinations were administered into your eyeballs! because the eyeholes in the skull are called orbits)[[Special:Contributions/172.70.35.17|172.70.35.17]] 23:03, 12 April 2021 (UTC)
:If an astronaut gets a severe case of conjunctivitis, maybe they'd get an orbital injection. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 23:59, 12 April 2021 (UTC)
:Would NASA have to supply suppositories, instead of injections, for any such medical missions to the seventh planet? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.207|141.101.99.207]] 01:07, 13 April 2021 (UTC)

Talk:2445: Checkbox

2021-04-02T06:58:10Z

141.101.99.207:

It doesn't work as described, fo be. Does it depend on the browser? I'm using Chrome.

[I don't see 'Loading...' or any other text, or a mute button; I do see dots and dashes, but get no sound(s).]

[[Special:Contributions] 06:57, 2 April 2021 (UTC)

Talk:2445: Checkbox

2021-04-02T06:57:34Z

141.101.99.207: Doesn't work?

Talk:2443: Immune Response

2021-03-30T19:25:15Z

141.101.99.207:

Well, we do need to take care of our immune systems for them to take care of us. Proper nutrition and getting plenty of reset are important for your immune function. It has also been shown that high levels of stress hormones over a long time can reduce the effectiveness of the immune system to protect you, so having a positive attitude can improve your ability to ward off infections. [[User:Nutster|Nutster]] ([[User talk:Nutster|talk]]) 01:10, 30 March 2021 (UTC)
:You don't want the human to stress out excessively, but that's because it takes away resources from the immune system. You ''do'' want the immune system itself to work hard. And in the case of a vaccination, it should believe that it's the real thing. See [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2406:_Viral_Vector_Immunity Viral Vector Immunity] [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 05:17, 30 March 2021 (UTC)

I would strongly prefer to wait 5-to-10 (to 30) years for long term studies before trying any new types of vaccine or medicine, but apparently my friends & family still want to see me in person before then. Oh well; at least I can keep wearing the mask at the grocery?
[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 05:31, 30 March 2021 (UTC)
:I dont blame you for waiting most vaccines undergo years of testing before they can be used. the covid vaccines skipped all the testing because they want it out there as fast as possible. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.63.164|162.158.63.164]] 18:00, 30 March 2021 (UTC)
::(Hope you don't mind, I corrected your 'indenting'.) Not really true. They did indeed test them. They may have accelerated 'normal' testing cycles and given provisional Emergency Use status, while further trial results were pending, but that was based on favourable (and, vitally, non-adverse) early but still thorough Phase III results. As well as stupid political stuff and other malicious misinformation, which is probably putting far more lives at risk, there is also continued monitoring and post-distribution testing going on of as many of the dozen-ish rolled-out versions. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.207|141.101.99.207]] 19:25, 30 March 2021 (UTC)

1536: The Martian

2021-03-29T08:28:08Z

141.101.99.207: watney mentioning apollo 13

{{comic
| number = 1536
| date = June 10, 2015
| title = The Martian
| image = the_martian.png
| titletext = I have never seen a work of fiction so perfectly capture the out-of-nowhere shock of discovering that you've just bricked something important because you didn't pay enough attention to a loose wire.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] is very excited about seeing that the trailer for ''{{w|The Martian (film)|The Martian}}'' is finally released, because he really liked the book. Cueball most likely represents [[Randall]] himself in this comic.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ue4PCI0NamI This trailer] for ''The Martian'' was released on Monday, June 8, 2015, two days before this comic, although a teaser [https://youtu.be/CumZP6_9sHU "viral" trailer] had been released the previous day. The film, starring {{w|Matt Damon}} (''{{w|The Bourne Identity (film)|The Bourne Identity}}''), is directed by {{w|Ridley Scott}} (''{{w|Alien (film)|Alien}}''). It was released in the United States on October 2, 2015.

''The Martian'' is based on {{w|The Martian (Weir novel)| a book of the same name}} by {{w|Andy Weir (writer)|Andy Weir}}. The book is very popular among nerds. The plot is a cross between the film ''{{w|Apollo 13 (film)|Apollo 13}}'' and the plot of the novel ''{{w|Robinson Crusoe}}'' — but just on {{w|Mars}}.

Cueball is telling [[White Hat]] about this trailer and the book, thus White Hat asks if he should read it. Cueball then describes a scene from Apollo 13: ''You know the scene in Apollo 13 where the guy says "we have to figure out how to connect this thing to this thing using this table full of parts or the astronauts will all die?"'' And he then tells White Hat that ''The Martian'' is like that the whole way through. What is actually said in the [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ry55--J4_VQ mentioned scene] is: ''We gotta find a way to make this fit into the hole for this using nothing but that.'' The first part being a large square box and the other a smaller cylinder.

The film ''Apollo 13'' is based on the true historical event of the {{w|Apollo 13| Apollo 13 incident}} where the astronauts find themselves in a damaged spacecraft. They evacuated from the {{w|Apollo Command Module}}, losing all its life support systems, to the {{w|Lunar Module}} which was designed only for two people for two days instead of three people for four days. One issue the crew faced was a buildup of carbon dioxide. In order to resolve the issue, the crew needed to find a way to attach a square-shaped air-cleaning cartridge from the command module to the circular receptacle of the lunar module: literally fitting a square peg into a round hole. In one [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ry55--J4_VQ brief scene], the {{w|Mission Control}} staff gather together a box of items equivalent to what the crew would also have on-board and sit down with the mandate to figure out how the astronauts can connect the two with the items available to them. In that case, the ground crew took on the task of trial and error given the availability of backup supplies in case they damaged or destroyed some of the supplies. Once a working solution was devised, specific instructions were relayed to the astronauts. Cueball suggests that ''The Martian'' essentially consists primarily of the type of problem-solving shown in that scene (as was suggested by the author, Andy Weir, in [https://youtu.be/5SemyzKgaUU?t=45m56s this] interview). The Apollo 13 scene is actually referenced in the book, when the Matt Damon character says "CO2 isn't a problem. (...) All systems use standard filters (Apollo 13 taught us important lessons)."

In the final panel, White Hat, who probably would not be so interested in this kind of story, wonders how a novel based on that kind of seemingly cerebral and procedural problem-solving became a big-budget film starring Damon. Big-budget films are generally films with a great deal of special effects and often also action sequences likely to draw big audiences — and to gain big returns. Matt Damon has become a high-profile big-budget star known for action films like the {{w|Bourne (film series)|''Bourne'' film series}}.

'''Spoiler alert:''' 
The title text is a reference to a particular part of ''The Martian'''s story: The astronaut stranded on Mars has previously established communications with Earth by {{w|repurposing}} the {{w|Mars Pathfinder|Pathfinder}} space probe that NASA landed on Mars in 1997. While working on another piece of equipment, he accidentally subjects the probe to an electrical short-circuit, destroying its electronics and "bricking" it. "{{w|Bricking}}" is a term in consumer electronics which essentially means to cause an electronic device to become non-functional and essentially no more useful than a "brick". The term is commonly used in respect of an unrecoverable failure of {{w|software}} and often a corruption of {{w|firmware}}. An unexpected "bricking" can be very surprising, and in a case where the item is critical, could be devastating. This bricking scene from the book was left out of the movie.

On the day the movie was released in the US Randall went to see it and released this comic about it: [[1585: Similarities]].

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is sitting at a desk using a computer and White Hat walks in.]
:Cueball: Ooh, trailer for ''The Martian!''
:White Hat: What's that?
:Cueball: Movie of a book I liked.
:White Hat: Should I read it?

:[Cueball pivots on chair and turns away from computer to face White Hat.]
:Cueball: Depends. You know the scene in Apollo 13 where the guy says "we have to figure out how to connect ''this'' thing to ''this'' thing using ''this'' table full of parts or the astronauts will all die?
:White Hat: Yeah?

:[Cueball pivots on chair again and resumes using computer while talking. White Hat looks at his smart phone.]
:Cueball: ''The Martian'' is for people who wish the whole movie had just been more of that scene.
:White Hat: How on earth did ''that'' become a big-budget thing with Matt Damon?
:Cueball: No idea, but I'm ''so'' excited.

==Trivia==
In [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SemyzKgaUU&feature=youtu.be&t=2760 a video interview] by Adam Savage with Andy Weir the author of ''The Martian'' says that his goal was to make the whole book like the mentioned scene from ''Apollo 13'' - exactly what the comic is saying. The video was posted on YouTube the day after the xkcd comic.

In the end, ''The Martian'' likely didn't disappoint the big-budget movie makers, grossing more than $630 million against a budget of $108 million.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Space]]
[[Category:Space probes]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]

Talk:2440: Epistemic Uncertainty

2021-03-25T07:37:36Z

141.101.99.207: maybe an explanation of Eve the Adulterator as ETA makes sense?

I definitely thought "adulterer" referred to someone who commits adultery, as in cheating on one's spouse. I thought it was a secondary joke, introducing another person referred to as "[name] the [undesirable action]er".
[[Special:Contributions/172.69.170.56|172.69.170.56]] 02:03, 23 March 2021 (UTC)
:"Adulterer" and "adulterator" have different definitions - to "adulterate" a substance is to mix it with an unintended additive. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.135.234|172.69.135.234]] 06:46, 23 March 2021 (UTC)
Is the "George" referred to here possibly the name of black hat?
:I doubt it. The hat silhouette is not the same pork pie hat as Black Hat [[Special:Contributions/172.68.86.20|172.68.86.20]] 04:34, 23 March 2021 (UTC)

The name "Evangeline" could be a reference to how "Eve" is usually the name of a hypothetical hacker used when teaching people about computer science. You know, that whole "Alice sends Bob a private message but Eve wants to read it" thing. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.122|108.162.245.122]] 05:22, 23 March 2021 (UTC)
:I second this explanation [[Special:Contributions/162.158.63.164|162.158.63.164]] 21:47, 23 March 2021 (UTC)

I wrote a long explanation of confidence intervals but realised that the study type depicted on the graphs is probably meta-analysis (hence the horizontal scatter plot) rather than single RCT as in my explanation. Got to go, will come back and amend it later if nobody else has. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.165.52|162.158.165.52]] 06:55, 23 March 2021 (UTC)

I have a feeling that George the Data Tamperer might be a reference to the classic [https://reallyreallyreallytrying.tumblr.com/post/40033025233/average-person-eats-3-spiders-a-year-factoid Spiders Georg], since it's about statistical error brought about by a guy named Georg(e). [[User:LemmaEOF|LemmaEOF]] ([[User talk:LemmaEOF|talk]]) 09:07, 23 March 2021 (UTC)

It may be no coincidence that this was posted very shortly after the US/Americas study that announced that the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine was 79% effective against symptomatic Covid. Although maybe adapted to 74% to not inadvertently suggest (for some) an actual equivalence to George, etc. Yes, 74% could come from a lot of places (and it also looks intrinsically more funny, in a 42-ish way, whilst remaining credible as a faux-result to be proud of), but I think its well within the bounds of statistical probability. Or George. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.218|141.101.98.218]] 14:31, 23 March 2021 (UTC)
:I agree that this comic is likely inspired by all the data on vaccines given at the time. However since it states drug, it is too vague to call this a covid-19 comic, but for sure it is inspired by all the fuzz about the vaccines. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:05, 23 March 2021 (UTC)

:The AstraZenica story includes the 74% figure too:
:https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/astrazeneca-oxford-vaccine-concerns/2021/03/23/2f931d34-8bc3-11eb-a33e-da28941cb9ac_story.html?_gl=1*1p0bmh7*_ga*YmYzbjBEamV0bVhHYk5heUJVYm5KV3k5ZDdEQlhoSlQzUmZyRmFzMHM3dVMxVXUzTUFOUTZLSmVUSk5jbV9UVg..
:“The letter goes on to explain that while the company announced its vaccine was 79 percent effective on Monday, the panel had been meeting with the company through February and March and had seen data showing the vaccine may be 69 to 74 percent effective, and had ‘strongly recommended’ that information should be included in the news release.”
: [[User:Honorknight|Honorknight]] ([[User talk:Honorknight|talk]])

Why does the article say that George and Evangeline are analogous to the cryptography Alice and Bob? There’s little there to suggest it and it even if it’s so it hardly makes the joke funnier. More likely they’re just random names that Randall made up. [[User:Requiscant|Requiscant]] ([[User talk:Requiscant|talk]])
:The analogy is that those are not names of real specific persons or random names, but deliberate placeholder names. And it definitely looks that way, although those are not standard so they also are random names that Randall made up. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 03:16, 24 March 2021 (UTC)
:Well, 'appropriated', as George and Evangeline are both names out there in the wild. Or 'mashed together' if you mean you're including their "the ..." qualifier. ;) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.207|141.101.99.207]] 13:51, 24 March 2021 (UTC)
::The acronyms made of their names come to mind? ETA and GTDT. At least ETA ... Seems to connect to a known data adulterator, the Estimated Time of Arrival... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.207|141.101.99.207]] 07:37, 25 March 2021 (UTC)

I'm waiting for the Evangeline the Adulterator fan art. (Oh my, that just made me think... is there such a thing as XKCD fan art??) [[Special:Contributions/172.68.26.134|172.68.26.134]] 17:18, 24 March 2021 (UTC)
: Yes, check out www.deviantart.com/tag/xkcd - [https://www.deviantart.com/tag/xkcd] [[User:Rtanenbaum|Rtanenbaum]] ([[User talk:Rtanenbaum|talk]]) 18:28, 24 March 2021 (UTC)

Talk:2440: Epistemic Uncertainty

2021-03-24T13:51:28Z

141.101.99.207:

2435: Geothmetic Meandian

2021-03-23T22:39:32Z

141.101.99.207: /* Trivia */ Improve efficient Python version

{{comic
| number = 2435
| date = March 10, 2021
| title = Geothmetic Meandian
| image = geothmetic_meandian.png
| titletext = Pythagorean means are nice and all, but throwing the median in the pot is really what turns this into random forest statistics: applying every function you can think of, and then gradually dropping the ones that make the result worse.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a MEAN MEDIAN. What, actually, is the joke? Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

There are a number of different ways to identify the "{{w|average}}" value of a series of values, the most common unweighted methods being the {{w|median}} (take the central value from the ordered list of values if there are an odd number - or the value half-way between the two that straddle the divide between two halves if there are an even number) and the {{w|arithmetic mean}} (add all the numbers up, divide by the number of numbers). The {{w|geometric mean}} is less well-known but works similarly to the arithmetic mean. The geometric mean of ''n'' positive numbers is the ''n''th root of the product of those numbers. If all of the numbers in a sequence are identical, then its arithmetic mean, geometric mean and median will be identical, since they would all be equal to the common value of the terms of the sequence. However, if the sequence is not constant, then {{w|Inequality_of_arithmetic_and_geometric_means#Geometric_interpretation|the arithmetic mean will be greater than the geometric mean}}, and the median may be different than either of those means.

The geometric mean, arithmetic mean and {{w|harmonic mean}} (not shown) are collectively known as the {{w|Pythagorean means}}, as specific modes of a greater and more generalized mean formula that extends arbitrarily to various other possible nuances of mean-value rationisations (cubic, etc.).

{{w|Outlier}}s and internal biases within the original sample can make boiling down a set of values into a single 'average' sometimes overly biased by flaws in the data, with your choice of which method to use perhaps resulting in a value that is misleading, exaggerating or suppressing the significance of any blips.

In this depiction, the three named methods of averaging are embedded within a single function that produces a sequence of three values - one output for each of the methods. Being a series of values, Randall suggests that this is ideally suited to being ''itself'' subjected to the comparative 'averaging' method. Not just once, but as many times as it takes to narrow down to a sequence of three values that are very close to one another.

It can be shown that the xkcd value of 2.089 for GMDN(1,1,2,3,5) is validated:

{|-border =1 width=100% cellpadding=5 class="wikitable"
!
! Arithmetic mean
! Geometric mean
! Median
|-
! F1
| 2.4 || 1.974350486 || 2
|-
! F2
| 2.124783495 || 2.116192461 || 2
|-
! F3
| '''2.080325319''' || 2.079536819 || 2.116192461
|-
! F4
| 2.0920182 || 2.091948605 || '''2.080325319'''
|-
! F5
| '''2.088097374''' || 2.088090133 || 2.091948605
|-
! F6
| 2.089378704 || 2.089377914 || '''2.088097374'''
|-
! F7
| '''2.088951331''' || 2.088951244 || 2.089377914
|-
! F8
| 2.089093496 || 2.089093487 || '''2.088951331'''
|-
! F9
| '''2.089046105''' || 2.089046103 || 2.089093487
|-
! F10
| 2.089061898 || 2.089061898 || '''2.089046105'''
|}

The function GMDN in the comic is properly defined in the second row since F acts on a vector to produce another three vector, however GMDN in the last line is shown to produce a single real number rather than a vector and is thus missing a final operation of returning a single component. Each row in this table shows the set Fn(..) composed of the average, geomean and median computed on the previous row, with the sequence {1,1,2,3,5} as the initial F0. While GMDN is not differentiable, due to the median, this can be interpreted as somewhat similar to a heat equation which approaches equilibrium through averaging. Interestingly, the maximum value alternates between the average and the median (highlighted in bold in the table), while the minimum value alternates between the geomean and the median. This holds for many inputs thus providing the basis for a possible proof-by-induction of convergence on the range (see discussions).

The comment in the title text about suggests that this will save you the trouble of committing to the 'wrong' analysis as it gradually shaves down any 'outlier average' that is unduly affected by anomalies in the original inputs. It is a method without any danger of divergence of values, since all three averaging methods stay within the interval covering the input values (and two of them will stay strictly within that interval).

The title text may also be a sly reference to an actual mathematical theorem, namely that if one performs this procedure only using the arithmetic mean and the harmonic mean, the result will converge to the geometric mean. Randall suggests that the (non-Pythagorean) median, which does not have such good mathematical properties with relation to convergence, is, in fact, the secret sauce in his definition.

The question of being unsure of which mean to use is especially relevant for the arithmetic and harmonic means in following example.
* Cueball has some US Dollars and wishes to buy Euros. Suppose the bank will exchange US Dollars to Euros at a rate of €5 for $6 (about 0.83333€/$ or 1.20000$/€).
* Megan has some Euros and wishes to buy US Dollars. Suppose the bank will exchange Euros to US Dollars at a rate of $7 for €6 (about 0.85714€/$ or 1.16667$/€).
[[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] decide to complete the exchange between themselves in order to save the {{w|Bid-ask spread}} of the {{w|Exchange rate}} which is the cost the bank imposes on Cueball and Megan for its service as a {{w|Market maker}}.
* Cueball offers to split the difference by averaging the rates €5:$6 and €6:$7 yielding a rate of €71:$84 (about 0.84524€/$ or 1.18310$/€).
* Megan offers to split the difference by averaging the rates $6:€5 and $7:€6 yielding a rate of €60:$71 (about 0.84507€/$ or 1.18333$/€).
In one direction (€/$), Cueball is using the arithmetic mean but Megan is using the geometric mean while in the other direction ($/€), Megan is using the arithmetic mean but Cueball is using the geometric mean. This creates two new exchange rates which are closer than the orginal rates, but the new rates are still different for each other. Megan and Cueball can then iterate this process and the rates will converge to the geometric mean of the original rates, namely:
* sqrt((5/6)*(6/7)) = sqrt(5/7) = 0.84515€/$ or
* sqrt((6/5)*(7/6)) = sqrt(7/5) = 1.18322$/€.

There does exist an {{w|arithmetic-geometric mean}}, which is defined identically to this except with the arithmetic and geometric means, and sees some use in calculus. In some ways it's also philosophically similar to the {{w|truncated mean}} (extremities of the value range, e.g. the highest and lowest 10%s, are ignored as not acceptable and not counted) or {{w|Winsorized mean}} (instead of ignored, the values are readjusted to be the chosen floor/ceiling values that they lie beyond, to still effectively be counted as "edge" conditions), only with a strange dilution-and-compromise method rather than one where quantities can be culled or neutered just for being unexpectedly different from most of the other data.

The input sequence of numbers (1, 1, 2, 3, 5) chosen by Randall is also the opening of the {{w|Fibonacci sequence}}. This may have been selected because the Fibonacci sequence also has a convergent property: the ratio of two adjacent numbers in the sequence approaches the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_ratio#Relationship_to_Fibonacci_sequence golden ratio] as the length of the sequence approaches infinity.

Here is a table of averages classified by the various methods referenced:

{|border =1 width=100% cellpadding=5 class="wikitable"
|+ averages using various methods
! Method
! Value
! Formula
|-
! Arithmetic
| 2.4 ||
|-
! Geometric
| 1.9743504858348
| <math>\left(\prod_{i=1}^n x_i\right)^\frac{1}{n} = \sqrt[n]{x_1 x_2 \cdots x_n}</math>
|-
! Median
| 2 ||
|-
! GMDN
| 2.089 ||
|}

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

F(x1,x2,...xn)=({x1+x2+...+xn/n [bracket: arithmetic mean]},{nx,x2...xn, [bracket: geometric mean]} {x n+1/2 [bracket: median]})

Gmdn(x1,x2,...xn)={F(F(F(...F(x1,x2,...xn)...)))[bracket: geothmetic meandian]}

Gmdn(1,1,2,3,5) [equals about sign] 2.089

Caption: Stats tip: If you aren't sure whether to use the mean, median, or geometric mean, just calculate all three, then repeat until it converges

==Trivia==
Geothm means "counting earths" (From Ancient Greek γεω- (geō-), combining form of γῆ (gê, “earth”) and ἀριθμός arithmos, 'counting'). Geothmetic means "art of Geothming" based on the etymology of Arithmetic (from Ancient Greek ἀριθμητική (τέχνη) (arithmētikḗ (tékhnē), “(art of) counting”). This is an exciting new terminology that is eminently suitable for modern cosmology & high energy physics - particularly when doing math on the multiverse. However, it is unlikely this etymology is related to the term "geothmetic meandian" as coined by Randall, as it can be more simply explained as a portmanteau of the three averages in its construction: '''geo'''metric mean, ari'''thmetic mean''', and me'''dian'''.

The following Python code (inefficiently) implements the above algorithm:

<pre>
from functools import reduce

def f(*args):
args = sorted(args)
mean = sum(args) / len(args)
gmean = reduce(lambda x, y: x * y, args) ** (1 / len(args))
if len(args) % 2:
median = args[len(args) // 2]
else:
median = (args[len(args) // 2] + args[len(args) // 2 - 1]) / 2
return mean, gmean, median

max_iterations = 10
l = [1, 1, 2, 3, 5]
for iterations in range(max_iterations):
fst, *rest = l
if all((abs(r - fst) < 0.00000001 for r in rest)):
break
l = f(*l)
print(l[0], iterations)
</pre>
Here is a slightly more efficient version of the Python code:

<pre>
from scipy.stats.mstats import gmean
import numpy as np

def get_centers(a, tol=0.00001):
a = np.array(a)
result = all(
(
len(a) == 3,
np.abs(a[0] - a[1]) <= tol,
np.abs(a[0] - a[2]) <= tol,
np.abs(a[1] - a[2]) <= tol,
)
)
print([np.mean(a), np.median(a), gmean(a)])
if result:
return a[0]
return get_centers([np.mean(a), np.median(a), gmean(a)])

</pre>

And here is an implementation of the Gmdn function in R:

Gmdn <- function (..., threshold = 1E-6) {
# Function F(x) as defined in comic
f <- function (x) {
n <- length(x)
return(c(mean(x), prod(x)^(1/n), median(x)))
}
# Extract input vector from ... argument
x <- c(...)
# Iterate until the standard deviation of f(x) reaches a threshold
while (sd(x) > threshold) x <- f(x)
# Return the mean of the final triplet
return(mean(x))
}

{{comic discussion}}


[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Statistics]]
[[Category:Portmanteau]]

Talk:2439: Solar System Cartogram

2021-03-21T03:38:22Z

141.101.99.207:

;Planet list seems incomplete
Where's Pluto? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.65.154|172.68.65.154]] 20:30, 19 March 2021 (UTC)
:Demoted to dwarf planet status in 2006, to the continued frustration of people like myself. [[User:Captain Video|Captain Video]] ([[User talk:Captain Video|talk]]) 20:33, 19 March 2021 (UTC)
::If the biggest Kuiper Belt object is a planet, the biggest Asteroid Belt object (Ceres) should be one too. They're both dwarf planets. Ceres was also considered a planet upon discovery until the rest of the similar-looking belt around it was discovered. [[User:Zowayix|Zowayix]] ([[User talk:Zowayix|talk]]) 00:24, 20 March 2021 (UTC)
:::Okay. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.186|172.69.34.186]] 02:11, 20 March 2021 (UTC)
::::See [[473: Still Raw]]--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:31, 20 March 2021 (UTC)
::::: The Pluto thing is just never going to go away. The IAU is in ego lock about how bad this decision was. "Clearing the neighborhood" serves no scientific value whatsoever. Supporters I've asked can't even articulate how big Pluto's neighborhood actually is. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.106|162.158.75.106]] 12:55, 20 March 2021 (UTC)

What about exoplanets? [[User:Wilh3lm|Wilh3lm]] ([[User talk:Wilh3lm|talk]]) 20:49, 19 March 2021 (UTC)
:They're not in our solar system. [[User:Bubblegum|bubblegum]]-[[User_talk:Bubblegum|talk]]|[[Special:Contributions/Bubblegum|contribs]] 20:57, 19 March 2021 (UTC)
::We should rectify that ASAP! A few more planets slotted between/woven through the current set would make for some interesting possibilities... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.207|141.101.99.207]] 22:52, 19 March 2021 (UTC)
:::Yes, interesting in the "ancient Chinese curse" way: despite most of solar system being empty, you would need to be VERY careful to fit even single planet inside without risking collision. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 04:31, 20 March 2021 (UTC)
::::We'll never know for sure without trying, right? ;p [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.22|141.101.98.22]] 22:34, 20 March 2021 (UTC)

Surprised no one has gotten technical and talked about how Earth is not drawn to be 7.8 billion times larger than the others (which would be around 300,000px wide) , meaning it's still off the same way other depictions tend to be. [[User:Trlkly|Trlkly]] ([[User talk:Trlkly|talk]]) 05:51, 20 March 2021 (UTC)
:Maybe it's a logarithmic cartogram. Log scales are generally needed when differences in sizes are so vast. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 06:01, 20 March 2021 (UTC)
::The dots are dimensionless, thus have zero size according to their population. Only exception is Mars, but with two it would still almost be zero size and thus just a dot. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:31, 20 March 2021 (UTC)

Needs to be amended to note that this reflects only HUMAN life detected on these planets. Just because we haven't found any yet doesn't mean that Jupiter might not be housing billions of Jovians, or Mars isn't teeming with Martians. [[User:RAGBRAIvet|RAGBRAIvet]] ([[User talk:RAGBRAIvet|talk]]) 06:53, 20 March 2021 (UTC)
:Well there is no evidence of any lifeforms in the solar system beyond Earth. It talks about Persons in the title text, thus it needs to be intelligent to have that label. And thus animals would not count. So until we have evidence of aliens on the other planets, or until we inhabit them, their population would be zero. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:31, 20 March 2021 (UTC)
::Remember, "intelligent" = capable of mass producing extinction level weapons, and stupid enough that they know they will push the button one day.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.174|108.162.237.174]] 00:52, 21 March 2021 (UTC)

;Bad map projection?
IMHO, this also qualify as kind of a [[:Category:Bad_Map_Projections|bad map projection]] (in the wider sense of a population density-anamorphic cartogram) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.77.160|141.101.77.160]] 21:11, 19 March 2021 (UTC)
:No, it is not a map at all. But you could mention in the explanation that it has similarity to bad maps projections. But this one is not actually bad, it is technically correct, it is just useless. Also removed the map category as there is not map in this comic! It is a globe. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:31, 20 March 2021 (UTC)
:: How do you tell the difference between a picture of a globe and a picture of a map? In any case a picture of a globe is a map with an orthographic projections. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.63.71|172.69.63.71]] 19:08, 20 March 2021 (UTC)
::: At least mention that Randall has previously published several distorted maps that are actually useful. E.g. https://xkcd.com/2399/ But I think it is a map (of the solar system). [[User:Gvanrossum|Gvanrossum]] ([[User talk:Gvanrossum|talk]]) 23:59, 20 March 2021 (UTC)
::::It's a diagram. Not sure it qualifies as a map. The relationship between features (planets) is purely sequential, and (however much I use Perl's ''map {func($_)} @list'' operation, which derives more from the pure mathematical usage) I expect my maps to have slightly more than 1D of layout to them, whatever other distortions they display/don't avoid. There are indeed 'strip maps' of roads/routes pulled straight, but they are mostly called "straight line diagrams" anyway (or contour/slope diagrams using the route as the cross-section path, so 2D in a perpendicular variation). [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.207|141.101.99.207]] 03:38, 21 March 2021 (UTC)

If the explanation is going to mention electoral maps, would it make sense to include [[2399: 2020 Election Map]] and [[1939: 2016 Election Map]]? [[User:Aerin|Aerin]] ([[User talk:Aerin|talk]]) 00:03, 21 March 2021 (UTC)

Talk:2439: Solar System Cartogram

2021-03-19T22:52:46Z

141.101.99.207: /* planet list seems incomplete */

== planet list seems incomplete ==

Where's Pluto?

[[Special:Contributions/172.68.65.154|172.68.65.154]] 20:30, 19 March 2021 (UTC)

::Demoted to dwarf planet status in 2006, to the continued frustration of people like myself. [[User:Captain Video|Captain Video]] ([[User talk:Captain Video|talk]]) 20:33, 19 March 2021 (UTC)

What about exoplanets? [[User:Wilh3lm|Wilh3lm]] ([[User talk:Wilh3lm|talk]]) 20:49, 19 March 2021 (UTC)

:They're not in our solar system. [[User:Bubblegum|bubblegum]]-[[User_talk:Bubblegum|talk]]|[[Special:Contributions/Bubblegum|contribs]] 20:57, 19 March 2021 (UTC)
::We should rectify that ASAP! A few more planets would make for some interesting possibilities... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.207|141.101.99.207]] 22:52, 19 March 2021 (UTC)

== bad map projection? ==

IMHO, this also qualify as kind of a [[:Category:Bad_Map_Projections|bad map projection]] (in the wider sense of a population density-anamorphic cartogram) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.77.160|141.101.77.160]] 21:11, 19 March 2021 (UTC)

Talk:2436: Circles

2021-03-14T17:37:01Z

141.101.99.207:

AS for the overlapping edits, it is because this just showed up in my RSS reader. I was surprised to see that there wasn't anything written yet. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.206.92|172.68.206.92]] 18:56, 12 March 2021 (UTC)
*If Randall was willing to realign the Audi logo, I think he could have stretched the model to accommodate Disney at the 3-ring slot! [[User:Jameslucas|jameslucas]] ([[User talk:Jameslucas|" "]] / [[Special:Contributions/Jameslucas|+]]) 18:58, 12 March 2021 (UTC)
*Audi's logo has the four circles in a straight line, not staggered (</pedant>) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.58|108.162.237.58]] 19:09, 12 March 2021 (UTC)
**If we are being pedantic it was originally the Auto Union logo and Audi was one of the four rings - along with Horch, DKW and Wanderer. Augustus Horch founded Horch and Audi (horch means hark or listen so translates into Latin as Audi). [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.6|141.101.98.6]] 18:42, 13 March 2021 (UTC)
**The same is true for MasterCard - the two circles are not staggered, but "in a straight line" (horizontal, that is) [[User:Mathmannix|Mathmannix]] ([[User talk:Mathmannix|talk]]) 20:15, 12 March 2021 (UTC)
ER are shared by both halves of the MC logo. Not AR. Anyone have another explanation?
[[Special:Contributions/172.68.132.41|172.68.132.41]]
* I was thinking about this too! Maybe Randall made a mistake, or is it something unexplained? We'll have to wait for an explanation.
::(Why are we (y'all) bullet-indenting?) Though the circles of the "(MAST(ER)CARD)" might well co-share the "ER", assuming that's correct, here the set {M A S T E R} and the set {C A R D} have clearly been put through an (unordered) set-union to highlight the {A R} that are not ''solely'' members of either original set. Don't know why that, in particular. Maybe it just worked better, and mixed things up better than the "(MAST(ER)CARD)" interpretation which doesn't really parody anything in the process... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.97|162.158.158.97]] 20:53, 12 March 2021 (UTC)
::Ok, just checked, and the word(s) "MASTERCARD" do(es) not appear on Mastercard logos any more, ''anyway'', having vanished/been relocated below the circles in various stages of cosmetic rebranding between 2006 and 2016. So "(ER)" enclosure wouldn't be strictly true for a number of years. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.97|162.158.158.97]] 21:00, 12 March 2021 (UTC)
My bad, I saw wrong. I thought it was between all the logos.[[User:Hiihaveanaccount|Hiihaveanaccount]] ([[User talk:Hiihaveanaccount|talk]]) 20:26, 12 March 2021 (UTC)
Oh no Randall, please don't turn me into an oversimplified logo! Noooooooo!

Well, the AR completes both the MSTE and the CD (ie, MasteR CarD)... as I expect one of the previous commenters was getting at. Perhaps it is a riff on picture in as much as AR completes MASTERCARD just as MASTERCARD's circles Complete Audi's circles... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.41|162.158.75.41]] 05:03, 13 March 2021 (UTC)

This bugs me more than any other xkcd comic, I could see the mastercard circles being tilted and still in a straight line, but then the Audi logo should be the same: straight line, but they line up to form the actual Olympic ring configuration giving preference to that logo... then there's the color, it would make me happy if the colors lined up with the actual Mastercard colors but they don't... so I don't know why I'm complaining here, probably because Randall doesn't have an actual comment system, so, sorry.... carry on with your day! [[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.40|162.158.75.40]] 15:11, 13 March 2021 (UTC) Sam

Should the current Audi logo box be a totally empty square? Reloaded several times, there's nothing in there. The other boxes all have pictures in them. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.105|108.162.250.105]] 09:02, 14 March 2021 (UTC)
:Looks OK here. And ''should'' be far simpler SVG than the historic logo's shading/etc. But maybe it's slightly newer SVG doctype (would need to read its source, to be sure, and this browser has recently removed its original view-source: method so I'd have to switch machines) or inadvertently use a fancier dialect that your browser refuses to render. (If 'current logo' is not actually just five flat, black rings, then maybe ''my'' browser is lagging, too, but differently.

...but then, do you have a 'dark' theme? Black rings on black (through transparency) background, thus apparently blank? A possibility, perhaps... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.207|141.101.99.207]] 17:37, 14 March 2021 (UTC)

16: Monty Python -- Enough

2014-01-28T05:40:21Z

141.101.99.207: /* Explanation */ the words 'saw' and 'ran' imply he was a bystander, not the killer.

{{comic
| number = 16
| date = October 4, 2005
| title = Monty Python -- Enough
| image = monty python.jpg
| titletext = I went to a dinner where there was a full 10 minutes of Holy Grail quotes exchanged, with no context, in lieu of conversation. It depressed me badly.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic refers to the classic British sketch comedy group, {{w|Monty Python}} (active primarily during the 1970s and early 1980s) whose humour style was frequently based on surreal jokes that did not make sense. Their sketches are so popular that, as noted in the comic, many fans can repeat the dialogue word-for-word, and often do. This comic points out the inherent irony of repeating a surrealist sketch, as surrealist humour primarily depends on presenting something the audience does not expect. By repeating the sketch verbatim among those who have already seen it, the listeners know and expect the punchlines and jokes. This is akin to a common ironic concept of a teenager who wants to rebel against conformity by doing all the things his friends are also doing.

The Monty Python sketch in question here is the "{{w|Knights who say Ni}}" sketch about a group of knights who protect certain sacred words, including the word "Ni" (pronounced like "knee", but shortened and with more staccato). The image text refers to the film ''{{w|Monty Python and the Holy Grail}}'' in which the Knights sketch appeared.

The comic suggests that readers continue in the surreal traditions of Monty Python, and provides an example: The character in panels 3-6 interrupts his retelling of the sketch with what appears to be a traumatic recalling of the time he saw someone run a woman over with his car and kill her, before returning to the sketch. The surreal humour is that the character dismisses the significant and serious comment he has just made by returning to the sketch as if nothing happened.

The image text refers to how fans of Monty Python can go for long periods of time simply quoting the sketches, as one person quotes a sketch, another recognizes it and says another quote without context, assuming everyone will recognize it. Perhaps a more contemporary version of this might be Simpsons or Family Guy quote frenzies.

==Transcript==
:Character #1 [Raising his hands]: We are the knights who say... Ni!!
:Two guys and a girl: hahaha
:Does anyone else find it funny that decades later, people are still quoting—word-for-word—a group loved for its mastery of shock, the unexpected and defiance of convention?
:[Two guys looking at a third.]
:Third guy: We are the knights who... Oh, God, I'm so sorry
:[Close up to Third guy's face.]
:Third guy: So sorry, the car just came too fast and
:[Words crumpled inside the panel, there's barely enough space for the third guy.]
:Third guy: She was right there and I saw her and then it was a blur and so much I ran to help didn't know what she wasn't moving I'm so sorry ... so sorry
:[Same two guys looking again at the third guy.]
:Third guy: Anyway, yeah, knights who say "Ni".
:[Written centered, in marquee format.]
:Honor
:Monty Python:
:Promote surreal humor.

==Trivia==
*This is the fifteenth comic [[xkcd#History|originally posted]] on livejournal. The previous was [[15: Just Alerting You]]. The next was [[17: What If]]. View archive [http://liveweb.archive.org/web/20070927001941/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=40 here].
*Original title: "Support Surreal Humor"
*Original [[Randall]] quote: "Just sayin'. It's been 30 years now."

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics posted on livejournal]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]

25: Barrel - Part 4

2014-01-28T05:19:42Z

141.101.99.207: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 25
| date = October 31, 2005
| title = Barrel - Part 4
| image = barrel_part_4.jpg
| titletext = :(
}}

== Explanation ==
In the first three comics of the series, the character explored the ocean in a barrel and then encountered a whirlpool, all with a reaction of innocent wonder. Here, the empty barrel floating adrift, plus the title text and a previous announcement by Randall that this would be the conclusion of barrel boy's story, imply that the character's encounter with the whirlpool brought him to some harm.

This is the fourth in a five-part series of comics whose parts were randomly published during the first several dozen strips. The series features a [[:Category:Barrel|character]] that is not consistent with what would quickly become the [[xkcd]] [[stick figure]] style. The character is in a barrel. The full series is:

The full series is here:
*[[1: Barrel - Part 1]]
*[[11: Barrel - Part 2]]
*[[22: Barrel - Part 3]]
*[[25: Barrel - Part 4]]
*[[31: Barrel - Part 5]]

== Transcript ==
:[The barrel is shown, floating sideways in a choppy sea. The boy can not be seen.]

==Trivia==
*This is the twenty-sixth comic originally posted to livejournal. The previous was [[37: Hyphen]]. The next was [[26: Fourier]].

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics posted on livejournal]]
[[Category:Barrel|04]]