explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:1704: Gnome Ann

2024-04-04T13:55:30Z

141.101.99.80:

The lotr reference is about the Witch King of Angmar instead of Sauron
Source:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witch-king_of_Angmar

[[Special:Contributions/162.158.196.143|162.158.196.143]] 05:05, 8 July 2016 (UTC)Dege

I'm surprised there's no reference to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyphemus Polyphemus] from [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homer Homer's] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odyssey Odyssey]. Or is there one that I haven't seen?

[[Special:Contributions/162.158.85.165|162.158.85.165]] 08:00, 8 July 2016 (UTC)

I saw the first panel, and honestly thought the pun was between Gnome Ann and the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnomon gnomon] of a sundial. The rest made pretty clear of what's up, though.
:Exactly! [[Special:Contributions/162.158.114.218|162.158.114.218]] 15:34, 9 July 2016 (UTC)

[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.5|108.162.219.5]] 10:01, 8 July 2016 (UTC)

Between the trenches: Gnome Ann's land. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.10.34|172.68.10.34]] 11:29, 8 July 2016 (UTC)
:The Great War saw millions of soldiers venturing into Gnome Ann's land and falling like flies. It took the great empires of Europe over four years to finally accept that Gnome Ann can conquer the world alone, so they finally gave up and returned Alsace and Lorraine to her. {{unsigned ip|108.162.210.192}}

Great comic. I really like this one. The idea is old but is put into new perspective with the drawings. Guess this can be made in different languages. Have seen one in Danish where a person was named ''Ingens'' = no one. So if something was owned by no one it was his... Must admit I did not get it until the Star Trek reference but I'm not native English and had to try it out to hear the no man in gnome ann where I would also pronounce the g hard although not for the reason mentioned in the explanation but because the Danish word Gnom is pronounced like that and not like nome. We need a Star Trek category I would say! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:26, 8 July 2016 (UTC)
:[[:Category:Star Trek|Done]]! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:42, 8 July 2016 (UTC)
:I've worked on an information system before that tracked the ownership of various properties, with many of the owners being 'Unknown'. But, due to a previous data migration, the 'Unknown' owner was actually a specific database record. And then someone found the owner of one of these properties and changed the name of its owner...cue the new owner being listed for dozens/hundreds of entries.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.158|108.162.249.158]] 04:12, 20 July 2016 (UTC)

It might still be considered a 'literary quotation' but, strictly speaking, the line "I am no man" is from the movie. The original dialogue in the book isn't quite that simple, and the "Gnome Ann" joke probably wouldn't work. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.214.220|162.158.214.220]] 14:28, 8 July 2016 (UTC)
:Given that it depicts the scene from the movie that is a perfect quote for this comic. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:42, 8 July 2016 (UTC)

[http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=26686 Language Log] has more of these. [[User:.42|.42]] ([[User talk:.42|talk]]) 15:34, 8 July 2016 (UTC)

Gnome Ann is an island. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.211|108.162.237.211]] 16:39, 8 July 2016 (UTC)
:[https://zgrep.org/draw/island.png I could not resist.] {{User:Grep/signature|18:31, 08 July 2016}}

Do you think Gnome Ann does double crit damage? She is no man, and she is Gnome Ann. {{unsigned ip|162.158.214.149}}

Re: The last paragraph of the explanation, is this false splitting, which seems to involve historical changes in words by dividing in the wrong place, or is this a [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mondegreen mondegreen]? The example which came first to mind is Jimi Hendrix, from Purple Haze : "Excuse me while I kiss (this guy / the sky)." I'm not nearly enough of a grammarian to be sure about the distinction. [[User:Miamiclay|Miamiclay]] ([[User talk:Miamiclay|talk]]) 02:25, 9 July 2016 (UTC)
:It is a mondegreen, but there definitely is a false splitting there also: "the sky" becomes "this guy", the 's' migrates from the latter word to the former. {{unsigned ip|172.68.11.87}}
::I revised the explanation to specify it is a mondegreen which in its very definition includes the bit about homophony. I remember first learning about mondegreen's from XKCD (Lady Mondegreen) but after searching I cannot remember which one to link. :( Oh well.--[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 16:04, 11 July 2016 (UTC)

"Gnome Ann mistakenly thinks that 'no man' is actually a reference to her own name." Citation needed. I see no reason to think that she is mistaken about anything. She's not a man; she's not even human. [[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.32|198.41.238.32]] 08:47, 9 July 2016 (UTC)

Gnome Ann threatens a messenger. {{unsigned ip|141.101.104.37}}

These comments above belong in Gnome Ann's land :-D --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:53, 9 July 2016 (UTC)

"Our Mission: To boldly go where Gnome Ann has gone before." Maybe the dangerous part is Gnome Ann still lurking around? [[Special:Contributions/198.41.243.238|198.41.243.238]] 08:06, 10 July 2016 (UTC)

Could this also be about Randall's gripe with English orthography? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.222.230|162.158.222.230]] 11:33, 10 July 2016 (UTC)

What is up with that trigger warning? It doesn't seem misogynist to me. {{unsigned ip|141.101.111.238}}
: I would suppose that they feel that giving women more ability (such as killing an unkillable demon, controlling time and tides, someone who goes after the wicked, has explored the galaxy, etc.) makes them less of a woman. I would then suppose that they neither wish women nor men to be in any way above each other, and that they should be fully equal. Generally throughout history there have been heroes from many walks of like, which today appears to upset people. Sometimes, when one is in a greater position of power there can be much more burden placed on them and as such freedoms may be lost because there may be a desire to keep specific standards or a lack of privacy. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.97|108.162.221.97]] 16:44, 10 July 2016 (UTC)
: This comic is offensive to some people as it comes across as sick male power fantasy and the whole point of the comic is to poke fun at a woman just because of her name. This comic would not work if it was a guy's name, but it's perfectly OK for you to make fun of women. Ha ha ha, how funny. You're sick.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.214.150|162.158.214.150]]ConcernedFeminist
:: re ConcernedFeminist. I think you're misunderstanding the comic. The point isn't that Randall is making fun of women, it's that the oft used phrase "no man" sounds like the a gnome with the name "Ann". Thus, it's humerus to imagine a small gnome controlling time, exploring the galaxy, and crashing weddings. How is it a power fantasy? How is gnome Ann being made fun of? If anything, she's incredibly powerful and accomplished. {{unsigned ip|108.162.245.126}}
::Considering this is a mondegreen of the phrase "no man", Randall really didn't have a choice in his name selection! "Gnome Ann" is more than just a rhyme or something that sounds similar, it is a phrase that can be mistakenly believed to be the actual reading. Comments above reference Jimi Hendrix lyrics as well as the explanation that references to the wiki on mondegreens. Let's get educated! So why "no man"? Because any name in these sentences reads exactly opposite the original intent and meaning which I think is the punchline of Randall's joke. As though we always thought the speakers were quoted as saying "no man" and really all along they were actually referring to Gnome Ann who must be keeping pretty well hidden from the general population and internet. Let's just say President Andrew Johnson got the joke.--[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 16:16, 11 July 2016 (UTC)
: Quite the opposite of misogyny, but I actually read this as Randall poking fun at the gender bias in the phrase 'no man'. I thought it was mostly intended as ironic, especially the last panel: "no man can kill me" - but Gnome Ann can, because she's a woman. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.70.67|141.101.70.67]] 17:55, 10 July 2016 (UTC)
:It can come across as misogynistic precisely because of the original sexism apparent in the phrase "no man" and also because gnomes are not usually associated with physical strength, thus making the idea of an all powerful gnome doubly hilarious when viewed from a sexist angle. However, I think that the deconstructivistic and language aspects are much more evident -- but there was a time when a comic like that would have pissed me off. You can't joke about sexism without invoking it to some degree.08:50, 11 July 2016 (UTC)
:: There is no "original sexism" in the phrase -- "man" originated as a term for the species "human," then slowly migrated to refer only to males. In older texts, or works emulating them (such as Lord of the Rings, though Tolkien being a linguistics god probably meant it only as a pun and not some gender statement), no man simply means "no person." If not for that misconception, whomever cried "trigger" would only have been able to do it for the idea of identifying someone named Anne as a female. I doubt Munroe intended to offend anyone, least of all by somehow viewing a mythical species "from a sexist angle," though it certainly doesn't seem hard to do. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.147|108.162.237.147]] 16:42, 11 August 2016 (UTC)
:::ConcernedFeminist, please take some time to figure out what Randall is trying to express, and if you cant understand you can read the explanation before commenting. Your rant was completely unjustified, and you way overreacted (adding a trigger warning, posting this issue to the main page) ''simply because you're extremely triggered and didn't understand the comic.'' I know this is a reply to a two year old comment, but seriously, this pisses me off to the point where i have to reply. [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 07:20, 13 September 2018 (UTC)

;THE COMIC UPDATED, FUNTIMES IS KILL
rip gnome ann, u will b mist [[Special:Contributions/162.158.214.150|162.158.214.150]]

: I don’t see a difference; what changed? In any case, why the RIP Gnome Ann? As the explanation states, Gnome Ann lives forever. {{unsigned ip|173.245.54.76}}

So many posibilities!

"Gnome Ann is good enough to govern any woman without her consent" (Susan B. Anthony)
"Gnome Ann is an island"
"Fear Gnome Ann and trust no woman" {{unsigned ip|108.162.210.192}}
:And the legend continues...
: "Gnome Ann has entered Hades's domains and returned to tell the tale" {{unsigned ip|108.162.210.192}}
: "I know your works, and behold, I have set an open door before you which Gnome Ann can shut, because you have a little power, and you have kept my word and have not denied my name." (Revelations: 3,8)
::https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/9d/3b/73/9d3b73052d50e17b4e26b2e50e8cb948.jpg {{unsigned ip|108.162.210.192}}

A friendly reminder that we're explaining a comic featuring linguist humor. Not the first week of women's studies.

Keep it civil, or I'll have to resort to desperate measures.

Thank you for your time. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.156|108.162.215.156]] 05:25, 13 July 2016 (UTC)

"A man would pun would pick a pocket"```` {{unsigned ip|108.162.215.230}}

I'm surprised no one has mentioned a reasonably controversial video game, Gnome Ann's Sky. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.10.28|172.68.10.28]] 15:26, 4 September 2017 (UTC)

Is the ship Gnome Ann flying in the Star Trek frame an [https://elite-dangerous.fandom.com/wiki/Asp_Explorer AspX]? [[User:Gfaster|Gfaster]] ([[User talk:Gfaster|talk]]) 20:54, 20 September 2020 (UTC)

An user of F-list, a website about (erotic) roleplaying, created a [https://www.f-list.net/c/Gnome%20Ann profile] (currently SFW, even if the website itself isn't) called "Gnome Ann", explicitly referring to the xkcd comic as the source of inspiration, but featuring some more quotes, both in the text with a comment to describe the character, and through some images (currently 36) portraying the violinist Lindsey Stirling as Ann.

According to CGP Grey, Gnome Ann rules alone.[[Special:Contributions/172.70.126.211|172.70.126.211]] 04:24, 13 November 2021 (UTC)

Just spotted her in Belfast. Can confirm that Gnome Ann is in Ireland. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.94.208|172.71.94.208]] 08:58, 4 April 2024 (UTC)
:(...hmmm, ''some'' people might comment that Belfast isn't ''in'' Ireland, the Republic Of, only ''on'' Ireland, the island of. Or similarly insistent language...) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.80|141.101.99.80]] 13:55, 4 April 2024 (UTC)

Little Bobby Tables

2024-03-28T11:26:38Z

141.101.99.80: /* Real life occurrences */

__NOTOC__{{Infobox character
| image = Little Bobby Tables.PNG
| imagesize = 200px
| caption = '
| first_appearance = [[327: Exploits of a Mom]]
| fix = yes
}}

<noinclude>:''For a list of comics, see [[:Category:Comics featuring Robert'); DROP TABLE Students;--|Comics featuring Robert'); DROP TABLE Students;--]].''
:''For Robert'); DROP TABLE Students;--'s sister, see [[Help I'm trapped in a driver's license factory Elaine Roberts]].''
:''For Robert'); DROP TABLE Students;--'s mother, see [[Mrs. Roberts]].''</noinclude>

'''Robert'); DROP TABLE Students;--''', also known as '''Little Bobby Tables''', is a [[stick figure]] character in [[xkcd]]. He is the youngest son of elite hacker [[Mrs. Roberts]] and [[Help I'm trapped in a driver's license factory Elaine Roberts]] is his older sister. His full name is known to cause problems with some computers. When he was first enrolled in school in [[327: Exploits of a Mom]], it exploited a vulnerability in the parsing of students' names into the school's student database resulting in the school losing all the student records for the year.

==Appearances==
[[File:Adult Bobby Tables.PNG|thumb|200px|Robert'); DROP TABLE Students;-- as an adult from [[884: Rogers St.]]]]
Within the five comics he is referenced, he is only drawn three times. The first two are in the [[:Category:1337|1337 series]] where he is drawn as a Cueball-like kid. But then he also appears as a young man with long curly hair in [[884: Rogers St.]]. Here it is only the title text that reveals that this is Bobby, that, and the fact that [[Randall]] in the official transcript does not mention the gender, but only that it is a person.
Here is how he looks in that comic:

There have been suggestions that the Robert in the table in [[596: Latitude]] was Bobby but given that [[Black Hat]] has never had any relation to him in the other comics, and that [[Rob]] has, it seems more likely that the Robert is Rob.

==Name==
In {{w|SQL}}, commands are terminated by semicolons <code>;</code> and data is often quoted using single quotes <code>'</code>. Commands may also be enclosed in parentheses <code>(</code> and <code>)</code>. Data is stored in tables of similar items (e.g., <code>Students</code>) and individual entries are "rows" in the table. To delete an entire table (and every row of data in that table), you use the command <code>DROP</code> (e.g., <code>DROP TABLE Students</code>). The <code>--</code> represents the start of a {{w|Comment_(computer_programming)#SQL|SQL comment}} which ensures that the rest of the command is ignored so an error will not occur.

The exploited vulnerability is that the single quote in the name input was not properly "escaped" by the software. Thus, when the name is embedded into some SQL statement, the quote is erroneously parsed as a closing quote inside that statement, rather than being parsed as part of the name. Lack of such escaping is a common SQL vulnerability; this type of exploit is referred to as {{w|SQL injection}}.

The name Bobby Tables inspired a website, [http://bobby-tables.com/ bobby-tables.com], a guide for beginning programmers to learn the right way to avoid SQL injection in their code. It appears in [[1253: Exoplanet Names]] as one of the suggested planet names.

===Example of SQL injection===

A typical, unsecured SQL command vulnerable to SQL injection would be something like:

database.execute("INSERT INTO Students (name) VALUES ('" + name + "');");

where <code>name</code> is a variable which is filled with the name to be inserted into the database. With a regular name, this would result in the following SQL command to be sent to the database system:

INSERT INTO Students (name) VALUES ('Elaine');

However, with Little Bobby Tables's full name, the SQL command would be:

INSERT INTO Students (name) VALUES ('Robert'); DROP TABLE Students;--');

Or, if split after each <code>;</code>:

INSERT INTO Students (name) VALUES ('Robert');
DROP TABLE Students;
--');

The first command inserts the name <code>Robert</code> into the database as in the first example. The second command however completely deletes the table <code>Students</code>. The remainder <code>--</code> is a comment to prevent syntax errors with the apostrophe and the closing parenthesis from the target command that the exploit code otherwise would have no use for.

===Real life occurrences===
In 2016, the British company <code>; DROP TABLE "COMPANIES"; --</code> was founded, and their name is still visible in the filings in [https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/10542519/filing-history Companies House). The name is deliberately misformed (not containing a closing quote at the start) in order to avoid actual problems for data users.

In 2017, a Swiss group called their book <code><script>alert("!Mediengruppe Bitnik");</script></code> to make e-commerce websites display a hackneyed pop-up as soon as the book name loads. [https://i.imgur.com/Dd4XN7d.png It immediately worked on several sites] and to this day, [https://www.tomlinsons-online.com/p-16381221-scriptalertmediengruppe-bitnikscript.aspx some websites] are still affected.

In 2019, a person chose a vanity license plate that said <code>NULL</code> and subsequently [https://www.wired.com/story/null-license-plate-landed-one-hacker-ticket-hell/ received thousands of dollars in fines from random vehicles] for which the license plate was unavailable. Some database programmers somewhere along the way failed to consider the difference between the string <code>NULL</code> and the value {{w|NULL}}.

In 2020, the British corporate register [https://forum.aws.chdev.org/t/cross-site-scripting-xss-software-attack/3355/8 accepted a registration] for <code> “><SCRIPT SRC=<nowiki>H</nowiki>TTPS://MJT.XSS.HT> LTD</code>, which was soon officially renamed to <code>THAT COMPANY WHOSE NAME USED TO CONTAIN HTML SCRIPT TAGS LTD</code> to avoid a cross-site scripting problem.

{{navbox-characters}}
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Minor characters]]

Talk:2466: In Your Classroom

2024-02-04T14:19:52Z

141.101.99.80:

yay! another one where a table is useful for an explanation! also first ALPHALUL [[Special:Contributions/162.158.79.59|162.158.79.59]] 01:01, 22 May 2021 (UTC)Bumpf

Exobiology should not be in the Good area. I've seen those movies, I know what happens next. [[User:Andyd273|Andyd273]] ([[User talk:Andyd273|talk]]) 02:18, 22 May 2021 (UTC)

I'm sort of sad that the the hover text, or perhaps the origin, wasn't simply "Tautology" [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.74|108.162.237.74]] 21:01, 22 May 2021 (UTC)

I think that the scales would be better shown as +/- from a (0,0) point than %'s from the top left. At least for the Good/Bad axis It's really weird to say that "Education" has 10% ''danger'' because it's not quite as good as having an atmosphere. Is it just me? --[[User:Bobson|Bobson]] ([[User talk:Bobson|talk]]) 01:51, 23 May 2021 (UTC)
:Many students consider education - especially tests - dangerous. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 02:26, 23 May 2021 (UTC)
:No, I agree as well. Would it be out of line if I changed it? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.18|162.158.75.18]] 17:26, 25 May 2021 (UTC)

Not sure how big is smallest quasar, but I suspect one appearing in class would be bad even for Sun and rest of solar system. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 02:29, 23 May 2021 (UTC)
:I agree. This should be sooooo far below the bad axis (or Volcanoes) that it should only have been mentioned in the title text. Of course Quasars do not exist in this age... But if one suddenly began in your class room it would be the end of the local spiral arm of the galaxy, and would devour most of what was there forming a new black hole center of the galaxy (a double black hole center). It would of course end all of Earth history as well as the solar system and the local cluster of stars. So putting it right under volcanoes, which would only destroy the local city (it was not given it was a super volcano), compared to ending Earths existence is not really serious. And as explained in the explanation he has previously also mentioned off chart points in the title text, as he does also for less interesting subjects in this one as well. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:06, 24 May 2021 (UTC)

Is vertical axis how dangerous? I read it as either being positive utility (Societal good and bad) or how much Randall likes it? [[User:Kev|Kev]] ([[User talk:Kev|talk]]) 10:19, 23 May 2021 (UTC)

Shouldn't it be vulcanology?[[User:Joem5636|Joem5636]] ([[User talk:Joem5636|talk]]) 12:33, 24 May 2021 (UTC)
:I thought that, but it appears that vulcanology/volcanology are both possibly equally valid (though the 'vulc' definitions point to 'volc' ones almost always in online dictionaries, with the reverse mostly only as 'alternative', and 'vulcanologist' seems less acknowledged than 'volcanologist' in related-words linking). In many ways, that annoys me, but that might be the classicist in me rather than the geographer/geologist who appreciates that "vulcanology" might be a rather more limited field that would require no more travel to extensively study than can be afforded by a handy Sicilian fishing boat or light aircraft. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.19|141.101.99.19]] 14:48, 24 May 2021 (UTC)

Would an alternate Geography = weird be due to an invading nation-state? We already have volcanology and other similar "The earth came into the classroom" things in the graph. [[User:OhFFS|OhFFS]] ([[User talk:OhFFS|talk]]) 21:42, 24 May 2021 (UTC)
:That would be bad, but still less weird than the actual Earth. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.114.48|172.70.114.48]] 18:09, 26 May 2021 (UTC)

TL;DR: Too many "citation needed" tags! It's not funny if you use it too much.

Several parts of this explanation seem to have been written in such a way as to include statements against which nobody in their right mind would argue and, in any other context at least, would not require any supporting citation, and are hence appropriate places for the humourous use of "citation needed" often seen on this site.{{citation needed}} I very much appreciate the hitherto typical Explain-XKCD-style sparse (about once per article) use of "citation needed" but I feel that it loses much of it's comedic effect when used frequently (six times in this article as I write!) in text that appears to be composed with the purpose of including the tag several times. I appreciate that some of us enjoy reading explanations peppered with the tags, so I haven't removed any of them, but my feeling is that the 'too much of a good thing' concept applies here. In future articles I personally hope to see normally written explanations (or as normally written as we can reasonably expect given the subject matter) with "citation needed" tags used only sparingly.

Missed opportunity: "...and Quantum Mechanics is both way off to the left and way off to the right." --[[Special:Contributions/172.69.35.102|172.69.35.102]] 22:25, 1 June 2021 (UTC)

I tried to edit the table to have the weirdness and badness from -10 to 10, but the table broke. Can someone fix it please? [[User:Cal3000000|Cal3000000]] ([[User talk:Cal3000000|talk]]) 12:12, 4 February 2024 (UTC)
:Fixed it [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2466:_In_Your_Classroom&diff=334172&oldid=334170 here] (before I read your call for help). I mention in the summary the ''reason'' it broke, and was just about to let you know anyway (you don't have a Talk page yet, so came here to give the link and then find the above plea).
:(I had to squash the reason down, to fit, however. Table-data lines get the "|-" symbol at the start of a line (text after that doesn't appear as regular cell data). Table cell-data starts as "|" on a line-start (or "||" where adding more cells on a single line of markup) and when the cell ("|") starts with a "-" (e.g. "-5") then it clearly looks like a row-break ("|-[...]") unless you do something about it. In this case, I put a space between the cell-pipe and the value-negative (and also could have added one, or two, before the unsigned values ...just for markup neatness). Other solutions might have been to use a different dash (”–” instead of "-", visually not too different, but might have annoyed other people doing text-searches [edit: and caused more fuss in supporting table-sorting functionality, of course!]), moved the new-line cells into being "||" followups to the respective prior line or used something like a <code><nowiki><nowiki/></nowiki></code> "breaking-nonspace" interjection (i.e. technically the opposite of an <code>&nbsp;</code>, though that would have worked also for several reasons). I'm sure there are other ways of doing it, as well, but I only tried the first, with the others in mind in case I'd got the right sort of diagnosis in mind but hadn't immediately identified a working cure.)
:The only suggestion I have, for future, is to use the Preview button more. As I ought to, sometimes. But it lets you play around to see if you can identify (and solve!) any problems, especially with notoriously miseditable table markup. You can also entirely back out of changes easier, while you try to learn what went wrong or seek help from others. It's always good to learn, of course! And I also learnt from this, and it's probably only circumstantial that I had never made the same inadvertent error in the past... ;) [[Special:Contributions/172.69.194.80|172.69.194.80]] 13:57, 4 February 2024 (UTC)

2875: 2024

2024-01-02T15:37:21Z

141.101.99.80: Undo revision 331858 by 172.71.178.201 (talk)

<noinclude>:''This page refers to the comic named "2024". For comic #2024, see [[2024: Light Hacks]].''</noinclude>
{{comic
| number = 2875
| date = January 1, 2024
| title = 2024
| image = 2024_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x553px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = It wasn't originally constitutionally required, but presidents who served two terms have traditionally followed George Washington's example and gotten false teeth.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by OBAMA'S TEETH - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
In what starts off almost like a "[[:Category:Comics to make one feel old|doesn't time fly?]]" scene, the unstoppable progression of the calendar is observed, as [[Ponytail]] points out that it's now 2024. [[Cueball]], in response, notes that it is an election year, in this context a {{w|President of the United States#Election|US ''Presidential'' election}} year, which occurs every four years and has (in one form or other) since 1788. Ponytail then replies in some form of exasperated tone that they "keep on happening", which is true but (normally) unsurprising, even/especially with other major elections happening every two years, presumably not compared to how [https://www.bristol247.com/news-and-features/news/youre-joking-not-another-one/ some other democracies] might be less predictable/more frequent.

On top of this, Ponytail seems to have not been aware (or maybe has chosen to forget) the passing of two whole election cycles (and two newer incumbents) as the discussion focuses upon {{w|Barack Obama}}, the ''former'' US President. Ponytail seems to be quite behind the times as she asks if Obama is still president (he left office January 20th, 2017, which was 7 (!) years ago, a fact that Cueball cannot quite believe Ponytail is ignorant of). Ponytail states that she liked him, and wonders if he'll be up for taking on the position again. But Cueball states that he ''can't'' be made President again, having already served two terms, which Ponytail confirms by checking for herself the details of the {{w|Twenty-second Amendment to the United States Constitution}}.

The humor in the comic comes in the second half; Cueball and Ponytail discuss whether Obama is the same person (like the mythical {{w|Ship of Theseus}}, most of his constituent cells are frequently replaced), with Ponytail looking into the possibility of Obama's re-election based upon philosophical/biological technicalities (as applied to the Constitution's words), rather than as legal/political convention might normally suggest. But when even that approach is seen to be wanting, requiring a wait significantly exceeding 30 years, Ponytail suggests negating that issue by having all of Obama's teeth removed and replaced with false teeth.

In order to facilitate the latter goal, Ponytail announces her intention to consult a dentist and (for exact reasons that can only be guessed at) a lawyer. Seeing where her current misplaced, and {{w|Dunning–Kruger effect|less than informed}}, zeal might be leading her, Cueball gives his prediction that the probable {{w|Supreme Court of the United States|ultimate legal arbiters}} of her plan might be unanimous in rejecting its validity (if not dissuading its attempt). SCOTUS being unanimous on an issue is now a [https://www.scotusblog.com/2022/07/as-unanimity-declines-conservative-majoritys-power-runs-deeper-than-the-blockbuster-cases/ comparatively rare event].

The title text references {{w|George Washington's teeth|George Washington's (in)famous 'false teeth'}}. Washington's dentures are often falsely claimed to be made of wood; in truth they were ''real'' teeth procured from other sources. Regardless, this would have likely resolved the rather specific problems established in the philosophical conundrum, and the title text claims that other presidents used this plan to get around the Constitutional limitations concerned in case they wanted to serve more than two terms.

However, no one has yet even ''needed'' to carry out this plan. Only one President has exceeded the limit; {{w|Franklin D. Roosevelt}} died in office during his ''fourth'' term, but he served prior to the 22nd Amendment and was thus unaffected by the rule, which was enacted six years after his death. (FDR did have a partial denture, but given that he retained some of his natural teeth, he did not engage in Ponytail's proposed scheme.) Presidents since then have definitely tried various schemes aimed at securing a second term, with both successes and failures, but nobody has yet planned ''this particular plan'' to achieve a third or beyond. Or at least one can assume that those that perhaps did (including, as noted, all those who were not yet 'required' to go to these lengths) failed to attain their goals for entirely different reasons.

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

:[Ponytail and Cueball are walking.]
:Ponytail: So this is 2024.
:Cueball: Yup. Guess it's an election year now.
:Ponytail: Again? Man, those just keep happening, huh?

:[Ponytail and Cueball now standing.]
:Ponytail: Who's the president these days, anyway? Is it still Obama?
:Cueball: What? No? He hasn't been... How do you not...

:[Ponytail and Cueball still standing.]
:Ponytail: Darn, I liked him. Is he running this time?
:Cueball: No, he's not allowed to.
:Ponytail: He's not? Why?
:Cueball: Constitution.

:[Ponytail checks her smartphone.]
:Phone: ''Amendment 22''
:Phone: No person shall be elected to the office of the president more than twice
:Ponytail: What?? C'mon...

:[Ponytail talking to Cueball.]
:Ponytail: Don't all your cells get replaced every seven years, Ship of Theseus-style? Is he even the same person?
:Ponytail: Maybe "no person shall be elected more than twice" isn't a prohibition, it's more of an observation, like "you can't step in the same river twice."

:[Zoom in on Cueball.]
:Cueball: Isn't the cell thing a myth?
:Cueball: I think tooth enamel has a turnover half-life of 30+ years. His teeth molecules are probably the same.

:[Ponytail heads off with a finger raised.]
:Ponytail: So if Obama just gets false teeth, he can run again! I need to talk to a dentist and a lawyer!
:Cueball: The Supreme Court is about to vote 9-0 to block your number.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Elections]]
[[Category:Politics]]
[[Category:Biology]]

2873: Supersymmetry

2023-12-28T14:29:32Z

141.101.99.80: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2873
| date = December 27, 2023
| title = Supersymmetry
| image = supersymmetry 2x.png
| imagesize = 313x375px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = High-speed collisions at the Baby Park track may support the hypothesis that Daisy is her own evil twin, a theory first suggested by Nintendo in the game Majorana's Mask.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by A RELATIVISTIC WALUIGI ANNIHILATING AN UNSUSPECTING LUIGI - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic suggests that the theoretical physics concept of supersymmetry is related to something else commonly known to use "super" in its name, namely Super Mario Bros. and Super Nintendo, and giving an explanation improperly combining the two unrelated topics

Protons, Neutrons, Antiprotons, Antineutrons, Electrons, and Electron Neutrinos are subatomic particles. Typically, an atom is made up of nucleus (Protons and Neutrons), with a cloud of electrons.

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:auto"
|+ Caption text
|-
! Particle !! Symbol !! Type !! Charge !! Mass !! Mario Character 
|-
| {{w|Proton}}
| p / p+
| Baryon ('uud' quarks)
| +1
| ≲1 {{w|Dalton (unit)|mu}}
| Mario
|-
| {{w|Neutron}}
| n / n⁰
| Baryon ('udd' quarks)
| 0
| ≳1 mu
| Luigi
|-
| {{w|Antiproton}}
| p / p-
| Antibaryon ('uud' quarks)
| -1
| as proton*
| Wario
|-
| {{w|Antineutron}}
| n / n-0
| Antibaryon ('udd' quarks)
| 0
| as neutron*
| Waluigi
|-
| {{w|Electron}}
| e-
| Lepton (charged)
| -1
| 5.5x10-4 mu
| (Princess) Peach
|-
| {{w|Positron}} / Antielectron (not depicted)
| e+
| Antilepton (charged)
| +1
| as electron*

|-
| {{w|Electron Neutrino}}
| νe
| Lepton (uncharged)
| 0
| Assumed >0 (very small*)
| (Princess) Daisy
|-
| Electron {{w|Neutrino#Antineutrinos|Antineutrino}} (not depicted)
| νe
| Antilepton (uncharged)
| 0
| as electron neutrino*

|}
<nowkiki/>* - to within experimental error

The right-handed Daisy (Electron Neutrino) means that Daisy’s direction of spin is the same as the direction of motion. A left-handed Daisy (Electron Neutrino) would be to the opposite.

The title text is a pun on the title of the Nintendo 64 game ''The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask'' and the {{w|Majorana fermion}}. It is referring to the fact that scientists cannot find an antiparticle for a neutrino, and that scientists wonder if a neutrino is its own antiparticle.

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

:Mario : Proton
:Luigi : Neutron

:Wario : Antiproton
:Waluigi : Antineutron

:Peach : Electron
:Daisy : Electron neutrino

:Free Luigi decay:
:[Illustration of Luigi → Mario + Peach + Daisy]
:[Label below Daisy:] (Right-handed)

:[Caption below the panel:]
:The theory of Supersymmetric Mario Bros suggests that each fundamental particle has a Super Nintendo partner.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Video games]]
[[Category:Mario Kart]]
[[Category:Physics]]

Talk:1581: Birthday

2015-09-24T07:28:47Z

141.101.99.80: Ruling is only about the lyrics

http://www.cnbc.com/2015/09/23/happy-birthday-song-now-in-public-domain.html [[User:Mwburden|mwburden]] ([[User talk:Mwburden|talk]]) 11:09, 23 September 2015 (UTC)

https://ia601904.us.archive.org/13/items/gov.uscourts.cacd.564772/gov.uscourts.cacd.564772.docket.html [[Special:Contributions/162.158.92.245|162.158.92.245]] 11:26, 23 September 2015 (UTC)

Why is there a <nowiki><code></nowiki> box around the transcript? {{User:17jiangz1/signature|12:51, 23 September 2015}}
:Because someone wrote the text with a space between each line instead of beginning each line with ":"
Like this
:Instead of like this --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:29, 23 September 2015 (UTC)

There are nine musical notes, not six.
[[Special:Contributions/173.245.50.92|173.245.50.92]] 13:40, 23 September 2015 (UTC)

"Some might claim" seems wishy-washy to me. Perhaps it would be better to say "calling the cops in such situations is neither socially appropriate nor beneficial: this is the source of the humor in this comment." [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 14:15, 23 September 2015 (UTC)

This appears to be one of the few comics with both Black Hat and White Hat. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.133.116|199.27.133.116]] 15:47, 23 September 2015 (UTC)

I don't have a sub to law360, nor do I wish to bother giving them my throwaway email. What was the basis of the ruling? Why is this public domain now? {{unsigned|NotLock}}
:It's not, text updated. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.161|108.162.250.161]] 06:39, 24 September 2015 (UTC)

The third line implies that "xkcd" should be pronounced as having two syllables. {{unsigned ip|108.162.250.163}}

Clearly you have never heard "Happy Birthday" sung to someone with a really long name. It doesn't matter if it's two syllables, you just stretch it out. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.48.123|173.245.48.123]] 04:08, 24 September 2015 (UTC)

AFAIK The ruling only applies to the lyrics, they still have a valid copyright to the music, so if you sing the song you had better make sure it's to a suitable tune that is out of copyright!

1514: PermaCal

2015-04-20T17:15:37Z

141.101.99.80: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1514
| date = April 20, 2015
| title = PermaCal
| image = permacal.png
| titletext = The flood of PermaCalNTP leap-second notifications was bad enough, but when people started asking for millisecond resolution, the resulting DDOS brought down the internet.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic proposes a new calendar system. This is similar to comic [[1061: EST]]. In this new calendar system, the date stays constant, and only changes with {{w|February 29|leap days}}. This means that ''all'' days are now leap days. PermaCal is a portmanteau of the words "permanent" and "calendar".

In the comic, the {{w|Gregorian calendar|real date}} is Monday April 20, 2015 (the date the comic was published). [[Cueball]] has not yet added a leap day to PermaCal today, so his calendar still states it is Sunday April 19. Upon learning from [[Megan]] that the date has changed since yesterday, he is now forced to add another leap day (and is presumably becoming frustrated that he has to do this every day).

Leap days in the {{w|Gregorian calendar}} are days added to the end of {{w|February}} every year that is a multiple of 4, but not by 100, unless it's also a multiple of 400. The purpose is to synchronize the calendar with Earth's orbit without having a partial day each year. {{w|Leap second|Leap seconds}} are necessary because the earth rotation is not constant, but speeds up and slows down over time. The leap seconds account for the differences in the length of our 24 hour day and a solar day (the time taken for Earth to rotate so the same point points towards the sun), and are announced several months before hand.

{{w|Network Time Protocol|NTP}} servers are used to keep local computer time from drifting. In the context of this comic {{w|Leap second|Leap seconds}} would refer to a system with constant time, and the time is adjusted by an NTP call every second. The title text refers to the bandwidth used by correcting the time in every millisecond resolution which for a system with constant time would result in 1000 updates being requested every second using significant network bandwidth and resulting in a {{w|DDoS}} situation.

See here, an example of a [http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.org.operators.swinog/10055 real-life unintentional DDOS attack involving NTP servers].

Part of the humor stems from the problems that leap seconds are causing for some computers. [http://www.livescience.com/49370-leap-second-added-2015.html] The last leap second disrupted computers at big companies such as {{w|Reddit}}, {{w|LinkedIn}}, {{w|Gizmodo}} and {{w|FourSquare}}. {{w|Google}} has coped by adding adding microseconds stretched out over the year, rather than a single disruptive second, possibly the reason for the reference to microsecond resolution.

==Transcript==
:[Megan and Cueball are in the panel. Cueball appears to be holding a phone, tapping.]
:Megan: What day is it?
:Cueball: Sunday the 19th.
:Megan: But you said it was the 19th yesterday.
:Cueball: It changed ''again''? Crap, better add another leap day.
:[Caption below the panel:]
:My simplified calendar system assumes the date never changes, then corrects any drift via leap days.

==Trivia==
*The "H" in Megan's version of "19TH" is missing the upper part of the left bar, making it look like an mirrored "h". This must be unintended, since the H in "19TH" is written correctly when Cueball says it. Also only capital letters are used in the comics (except in special cases).

{{comic discussion}}


[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball‏]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan‏]]
[[Category:Time management]]
[[Category:Portmanteau]]

Talk:657: Movie Narrative Charts

2015-03-13T10:54:42Z

141.101.99.80:

...but in 12 Angry Men, at two points, some of the jurors leave to -- and have conversations in -- the bathroom! {{unsigned ip|‎193.25.222.71}}

Why is this not part of the explaination? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Minard.png

It is public domain so it should be allowed right? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.117|108.162.246.117]] 03:43, 10 March 2014 (UTC)

I added it to the explaination as it certainly adds to the understadning of the comic. It was already uploaded by someone else. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.117|108.162.246.117]] 03:50, 10 March 2014 (UTC)

Only flaw is that Saruman died at the wrong time. [[User:LordSamanon|LordSamanon]] ([[User talk:LordSamanon|talk]]) 02:03, 4 March 2015 (UTC)

Second flaw is that Sam is going to west, too.

1428: Move Fast and Break Things

2014-10-06T06:44:38Z

141.101.99.80: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1428
| date = October 1, 2014
| title = Move Fast and Break Things
| image = move_fast_and_break_things.png
| titletext = I was almost fired from a job driving the hearse in funeral processions, but then the funeral home realized how much business I was creating for them.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] appears to be at a job interview, proudly stating his motto to the interviewer [[Ponytail]].

"Move fast and break things" is a saying common in science and engineering industries. In that context, it means that making mistakes is a natural consequence of innovation in a highly competitive and complex environment. In particular, it was adopted by Mark Zuckerberg at Facebook (who even went as far as to say that [http://www.businessinsider.com/mark-zuckerberg-2010-10 'breaking things' is a necessary feature of moving 'fast enough']).

While in software development it is unusual for any great harm to result from breaking things, the jobs listed in the comic are ones where there are serious consequences of mistakes. Some would result in dangerous or deadly situations, while others would just end up with broken packages etc. It's not clear what job Cueball is interviewing for; one suspects it's probably one that belongs in the 'breaking things is bad' group.

The results of moving fast and breaking things for the listed jobs might include:

*{{w|FedEx}} driver - Injured/killed pedestrians, collisions with other vehicles, broken & damaged packages
*Crane operator - Damage or destruction of load, dropping loads on people below, damage to crane
*Surgeon - Incorrect operations performed, removing wrong body parts, death of the patient
*Air Traffic Controller - Air collisions, travel disruption, chaos
*Pharmacist - Handing out wrong drugs, resulting in illness or death
*Museum Curator - Damage or destruction of items of historical or artistic significance
*Waiter - Crockery broken, wine spilt on customers, food tipped over people
*Dog Walker - Injuring the pet, or preventing it from fulfilling its bodily functions (the major reason for a walk)
*Oil Tanker Captain - Collisions between vessels, or tanker and port, or running aground, leading to oil spills and casualties
*Violinist - Ruining an ensemble's performance by playing too fast (with a higher tempo than fellow musicians), breaking the strings or body of the instrument
*Mars Rover Driver - Breaking an incredibly important vehicle, preventing further exploration, and ruining an extremely expensive mission
*Massage Therapist - Injuring the client, breaking bones and ligaments.

The title text posits a morbid scenario where Cueball keeps running over funeral attendees, generating the need for more funerals.

==Transcript==

:[Cueball sits in a chair in a job interview with Ponytail]
:Cueball: My motto is "Move fast and break things."
:[Below the picture follows a list ]
:'''Jobs I've been'''
:'''fired from'''
:Fedex driver
:Crane operator
:Surgeon
:Air Traffic Controller
:Pharmacist
:Museum Curator
:Waiter
:Dog Walker
:Oil Tanker Captain
:Violinist
:Mars Rover Driver
:Massage Therapist
{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]

1428: Move Fast and Break Things

2014-10-01T06:17:02Z

141.101.99.80: /* Explanation */

1428: Move Fast and Break Things

2014-10-01T06:12:32Z

141.101.99.80: /* Explanation */