explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:872: Fairy Tales

2021-02-26T10:57:16Z

162.158.158.165:

What about the grasshopper one?

: There is an Aesop fable about {{w|The Ant and the Grasshopper|an Ant and a Grasshopper}}. Maybe the connection is that "contracting to a point etc" is a frivolous activity (like playing fiddle & dancing)? - [[Special:Contributions/38.113.0.254|38.113.0.254]] 01:07, 6 December 2012 (UTC)

Can someone make the Eigenvector explanation a little more "plain language" for those of us who are mathematically challenged? <--feeling dumb... [[Special:Contributions/108.28.72.186|108.28.72.186]] 05:45, 4 August 2013 (UTC)
:Thanks for your comment, I did mark this as incomplete and start to do an explain for non math people. But consider this: xkcd is "A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language." Nevertheless, I try to work on this comic right now.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:11, 4 August 2013 (UTC)

The prefix 'eigen-' applied to the term is adopted from the German word eigen for "self-" or "unique to", "peculiar to", or "belonging to." As the eigenvector remains unchanged through the transformation of the matrix it can be used to describe something unique about that matrix.

The self for the shoe disappeared into the matrix leaving behind a transparency that could be used to decouple the background, thus exposing the required self. Several parts of the background are damaged in the search. On paper this is permissible. (Especially in fairy-stories.)

[[User:Weatherlawyer| I used Google News BEFORE it was clickbait]] ([[User talk:Weatherlawyer|talk]]) 00:10, 24 January 2015 (UTC)

I find it amusing that the Poincaré conjecture is still called a conjecture. Wikipedia starts with the amusing statement "the Poincaré conjecture ... is a theorem." I couldn't find it, but I'd guess that there's probably a lovely discussion on that topic on the talk page. [[User:Gman314|Gman314]] ([[User talk:Gman314|talk]]) 22:30, 19 August 2013 (UTC)

Has anyone written any of these stories? I want to read them now. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.188|199.27.128.188]] 19:31, 30 January 2015 (UTC)
:[[http://www.math.stonybrook.edu/~sunscorch/fairy_tales.html here]][[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.165|162.158.158.165]] 10:57, 26 February 2021 (UTC)

Talk:2189: Old Game Worlds

2019-08-14T09:32:20Z

162.158.158.165:

;Older games
Quote from explanation: "Some readers might wonder why there's no mention of even older games like Space Invaders (1978) and Pac-Man (1980), but these games were so abstracted, so pixelated; that there's never an expectation that anything in them would age or deteriorate. Likewise with older text games like the Zork series (1977–79) or their predecessor, Colossal Cave (1976–77). So they are sadly ignored on the timeline of games."
*Nope, sorry, I completely disagree with this. Pacman always felt like a real world to me. Imagine a night club in the afternoon, cleaners mopping, a couple of ghosts sleeping in the corner, sick on a wall, another wall crumbled, muzak playing, the threadworn patterned carpet now visable, pellets scattered, a uniformed teen carefully placing new shiny pellets, another uniformed teen sneaking up on the sleeping ghosts with a net. Space Invaders: the aliens have gone, people have built house out of the ruins of the bunkers, the laser is crashed in a field missing vital parts, cows mill around eating the grass, a guy with an end-is-nigh sign babbles incessantly about aliens coming. Meanwhile Zork and Colossal Cave would also be perfect for this scenario - being text the only limit on then is the imagination of the author (and memory space etc, but shhh). Personally I feel the list just represents some of Randall's favourite games - he was born in 1984 so these games here are ''before his time'' and not really games he would gravitate towards when making a list of just '''13''' games. [[User:A74xhx|A74xhx]] ([[User talk:A74xhx|talk]]) 07:08, 14 August 2019 (UTC)
::Yes, it is easy, with a bit of imagination (and at time of publishing of the games, limiting alternative experiences in video games), to really dive in deeply. But it wouldn't make a good comic, to do these "modern" adaptions to the simple layout of the actual user interface of e.g. pacman. Nevertheless i am not sure if that actually belongs to the explanation, as it is only speculation about something that is NOT in the comic. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 07:27, 14 August 2019 (UTC)
:::Not to mention that the list might just be incomplete and continue on below the visible space. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.28|108.162.249.28]] 07:13, 14 August 2019 (UTC)
:::: Ok, removed the paragraph [[User:A74xhx|A74xhx]] ([[User talk:A74xhx|talk]]) 9:30, 14 August 2019 (UTC)

"Mario kart" is a series, not a game. Its first title "Super Mario Kart" was released in 1992, which would be older than the "very old game" "Escape Velocity (1996)". Maybe Randall referred to "Mario kart 64", which was released in North America 1997 in, rendering it newer than "Escape Velocity". Stefan 08:51, 14 August 2019 (UTC)
:Agree, that makes sense with both the title and the chronology. I will correct my own explanation.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:55, 14 August 2019 (UTC)

Talk:2189: Old Game Worlds

2019-08-14T09:30:56Z

162.158.158.165:

;Older games
Quote from explanation: "Some readers might wonder why there's no mention of even older games like Space Invaders (1978) and Pac-Man (1980), but these games were so abstracted, so pixelated; that there's never an expectation that anything in them would age or deteriorate. Likewise with older text games like the Zork series (1977–79) or their predecessor, Colossal Cave (1976–77). So they are sadly ignored on the timeline of games."
*Nope, sorry, I completely disagree with this. Pacman always felt like a real world to me. Imagine a night club in the afternoon, cleaners mopping, a couple of ghosts sleeping in the corner, sick on a wall, another wall crumbled, muzak playing, the threadworn patterned carpet now visable, pellets scattered, a uniformed teen carefully placing new shiny pellets, another uniformed teen sneaking up on the sleeping ghosts with a net. Space Invaders: the aliens have gone, people have built house out of the ruins of the bunkers, the laser is crashed in a field missing vital parts, cows mill around eating the grass, a guy with an end-is-nigh sign babbles incessantly about aliens coming. Meanwhile Zork and Colossal Cave would also be perfect for this scenario - being text the only limit on then is the imagination of the author (and memory space etc, but shhh). Personally I feel the list just represents some of Randall's favourite games - he was born in 1984 so these games here are ''before his time'' and not really games he would gravitate towards when making a list of just '''13''' games. [[User:A74xhx|A74xhx]] ([[User talk:A74xhx|talk]]) 07:08, 14 August 2019 (UTC)
::Yes, it is easy, with a bit of imagination (and at time of publishing of the games, limiting alternative experiences in video games), to really dive in deeply. But it wouldn't make a good comic, to do these "modern" adaptions to the simple layout of the actual user interface of e.g. pacman. Nevertheless i am not sure if that actually belongs to the explanation, as it is only speculation about something that is NOT in the comic. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 07:27, 14 August 2019 (UTC)
:::Not to mention that the list might just be incomplete and continue on below the visible space. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.28|108.162.249.28]] 07:13, 14 August 2019 (UTC)
:::: Ok, removed the paragraph. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.165|162.158.158.165]] 09:30, 14 August 2019 (UTC)

"Mario kart" is a series, not a game. Its first title "Super Mario Kart" was released in 1992, which would be older than the "very old game" "Escape Velocity (1996)". Maybe Randall referred to "Mario kart 64", which was released in North America 1997 in, rendering it newer than "Escape Velocity". Stefan 08:51, 14 August 2019 (UTC)
:Agree, that makes sense with both the title and the chronology. I will correct my own explanation.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:55, 14 August 2019 (UTC)

2189: Old Game Worlds

2019-08-14T09:29:48Z

162.158.158.165: Removed "old games" paragraph. See discussion page.

{{comic
| number = 2189
| date = August 14, 2019
| title = Old Game Worlds
| image = old_game_worlds.png
| titletext = Ok, how many coins for a cinnamon roll?
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a VERY OLD GAME CHARACTER. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

[[Randall]] sits at his computer looking at a menu of games which have been ordered into three sections, New, Old and Very old games (see [[#List of games|List of games]] below). At the bottom of this list, 2nd to last, he chooses to click on ''{{w|Super Mario Bros.}}'' which then opens as shown in the next four panels.

This comic explores the difference between the real world, where artificial structures require constant upkeep and communities change with time, and the digital worlds of video games, where everything is static until the plot demands otherwise. Although ''online'' games do require server maintenance by the owners, offline games are - and always have been - perpetual existences, unchanging so long as the data is intact.

As the narration explores this incongruity, and theorizes about the idea of it not being so, the comic displays the alternative with the ubiquitous video game - ''Super Mario Bros.'' (1985) - as an example. {{w|Mario}} arrives in World 1-1 to find a {{w|Goomba}} expressing surprise that the plumber has deigned to return to the place where his '''first''' journey began. As he advances, he finds both signs of progress - a {{w|Cell site|cellphone tower}}, an {{w|Motorized scooter|e-scooter}}, a {{w|Quadcopter|drone}} - and signs of disrepair - damaged {{w|Warp (video gaming)|Warp Pipes}}, loose blocks. At World 1-Castle, he finds {{w|Toad (Nintendo)|Toad}} - usually warning him that {{w|Princess Peach|the Princess}} is being held elsewhere - informing him that the castle has been remodeled into a {{w|Panera Bread|Panera}} bakery. As shown in the previous comic, [[2188: E Scooters]] are not universally seen as a good thing. Similar, the selected modern elements, cellphone towers and (survilance) drones, also might put a dystopian feel to the changed video game world.

The title-text abruptly switches to Mario's acceptance of the changes to World 1-1, and deciding to make the most of it by purchasing a {{w|cinnamon roll}}. "Coins" are the ubiquitous currency of the {{w|Mushroom Kingdom}} and most other locations Mario visits in the ''Mario'' series, taking the form of large nondescript golden circles, usually with a rectangular indent on the sides.

===List of games===
The first panel shows a list of games in a supposedly reverse chronological order of their release:
#New games:
##{{w|Subnautica}} (2014)
##[https://spookysquid.com/rsd Russian Subway Dogs] (2018)
##{{w|Kerbal Space Program}} (2015). (Has been mentioned several times in xkcd).
#Old games:
##{{w|Worms Armageddon}} (1999)
##{{w|Elasto Mania}} (2000)
##{{w|Katamari Damacy}} (2004)
##{{w|Mario Kart 64|Mario Kart}} (1997) (due to it's placement in the timeline this is probably Mario Kart 64!, because the first {{w|Super_Mario_Kart|Mario Kart}} from 1992 would classify as a very old game). Mario kart is also referenced [[:Category:Mario Kart|several times]] on xkcd.
#Very old games:
##{{w|Link's Awakening}} (1993) (aka The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening)
##{{w|Escape Velocity (video game)|Escape Velocity}} (1996)
##{{w|SimCity}} (1989)
##{{w|Prince of Persia}} (1989). (This game was [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e2/1608_Comparing_Prince_of_Persia_maze_with_real_level_1.png featured] in [[1608: Hoverboard]]).
##{{w|Super Mario Bros.}} (1985)
##{{w|History_of_Microsoft_Flight_Simulator#Flight_Simulator_3.0|MS Flight Simulator 3}} (1988)

The first game in the {{w|Mario Kart}} series was {{w|Super Mario Kart}} from 1992. As can be seen that Mario Kart game would be older than Link's Awakening. So it looks like Randall was referring to {{w|Mario Kart 64}} from 1997, the first in the series to begin with Mario Kart leaving out the Super. With this in mind all the games in the two bottom sections are older than all those in the previous section. But they are not listed chronological within the three sections.

Russian Subway Dogs is the newest game from 2018 (and did not have a Wikipedia page as the only of the 13 games at the time of this comics release in August 2019).

Super Mario Bors. the chosen game is the oldest of the 13. The first version of {{w|Microsoft Flight Simulator}}, {{w|History_of_Microsoft_Flight_Simulator#Flight_Simulator_1.0|MS flight simulator 1.0}}, was from 1982, but it is specifically the third from 1988 that is on the list.

The first three games are from 2014-2018. The next four from between 1997-2004 and the last six from between 1985-1996. So if the split is 1985-1996, 1997-2005 and then just never games than 2005 it would fit. But it would have made more sense with 1985-1995, with the Escape Velocity game in the Old game section.

==Transcript==
:[A light gray drop down menu is shown with three sections split up with three grays lines split up with section titles in the same gray font. Beneath each section title is 3, 4 and 6 lines of black text. An white arrow cursor hovers over the second last option, which is thus highlighted with a dark gray background and white text.]
:<font color="gray">New Games</font>
:Subnautica
:Russian Subway Dogs
:Kerbal Space Program
:<font color="gray">Old Games</font>
:Worms Armageddon
:Elasto Mania
:Katamari Damacy
:Mario Kart
:<font color="gray">Very Old Games</font>
:Link's Awakening
:Escape Velocity
:SimCity
:Prince of Persia
<div style="background-color:gray; padding:5px; width:fit-content; margin-left: 2em">
<font color="white">Super Mario Bros.</font></div>
:MS Flight Simulator 3

:[A colorful scene is shown from the Super Mario Bros. side-scrolling game, the first level World 1-1. Mario with red hat and trousers is standing on the brown blocks beneath the blue sky. Another character in the game, Goomba, is standing in front of some green bushes. Above them is narration text:]
:Narrator: It feels weird that you can go into old games and the whole world is still there.
:Goomba: Mario?
:Mario: It'sa me!
:Goomba: What are ''you'' doing here?

:[Mario stands between an e-scooter, a dismounted and broken Question Mark Box lying on it side and a cellphone tower. Narration continues above:]
:Narrator: Part of me expects to find that everything's changed.

:[Mario looks at a damaged green but rusty Warp Pipe and there is a quadcopter drone flying by over his head. Weed is growing both from the pipe and from the blocks he is walking on. Narration continues above:]
:Narrator: That pipes have rusted, walls have crumbled, bad guys have moved on.

:[Mario has moved on to World 1-Castle, the castle has been replaced with a bakery. The blocks beneath his feet are now smaller and gray and above them is black background. The character Toad with the white hat with red circles is standing in front of a bakery disc with shelves of bread and cake behind it. There is a green sign on the front of the brown disk. Toad talks to Mario with white text in the black background. Above the black part of the image is more narration in a frame-less white section:]
:Narrator: That even our game worlds can't escape the passage of time.
:Toad: Thank you, Mario!
:Toad: But this is a Panera now!
:Sign: Panera

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Video games]]
[[Category:Mario Kart]]
[[Category:Drones]]

2188: E Scooters

2019-08-12T09:51:08Z

162.158.158.165: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2188
| date = August 12, 2019
| title = E Scooters
| image = e_scooters.png
| titletext = Obviously battery technology and prices have driven a lot of the scooter explosion, but I feel like Dean Kamen must be at least a little grumpy about how much people laughed at the idea of the Segway.
}}

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

At the time of publishing, {{w|motorized scooter}}s or e-scooters were very popular, especially with the rise of ride-share companies such as {{w|Lime (transportation company)|Lime}} and {{w|Bird (company)|Bird}} that use apps allowing users to rent the scooters by the minute. (Randall uses "e Scooter" or "E Scooter" for the comics title. But in the comic White Hat does say e-scooter, which is also the way the Wikipedia article on {{w|e-scooters}} mentions them).

[[Cueball]] drives up to White Hat on his e-scooter. White Hat asks him for his thoughts on the scooter, he is interested as he has heard so much about them. However, instead of just waiting to hear Cueball's response, White Hat then goes on to list four things he has heard other people say about e-scooters. When he finally stops talking Cueball tells him that he has given this a lot of thoughts, and tells him that he will give him his opinion on e-scooters. But instead of choosing an opinion from White Hat's list (or any opinion for that mater) Cueball stats making engine/vehicle sounds and in the last panel also "pew pew pew" sounds which prompts White Hat to ask why there are lasers on his e-scooter, as the "pew" sound is interpreted as a laser sounds (maybe as from the Star Wars universe) by White Hat. Cueball's reply to that is to make a final pew.

White Hat makes the following list of opinions on e-scooters:
#Are they impractical and unsafe toys?
#Or a last-mile transit revolution?
#A low-carbon car replacement?
#Or Silicon Valley sidewalk clutter?

Some people consider e-scooters as a "low-carbon car replacement", as they are better for the environment than polluting gas cars. Additionally, e-scooters have been touted as a form of "last-mile transit" - used to cover the "last mile" to your destination after taking other forms of public transportation.

However, others consider e-scooters as a public nuisance, as users often leave them on the sidewalk haphazardly. They have also been seen as dangerous, as many users do not wear helmets when riding e-scooters (though Cueball is seen with a helmet in the comic) or ride them at high speed on sidewalks in the middle of pedestrians. Some cities have gone so far as to [https://www.thestate.com/news/local/article224573320.html ban e-scooters] [https://www.theverge.com/2019/6/21/18701299/nashville-electric-scooter-ban-man-killed from their communities].

The title text suggests {{w|Segway}} founder Dean Kamen might be jealous of e-scooter companies, as the Segway was never successful among the general public as an alternative form of transportation. However, [https://techcrunch.com/2018/05/01/lime-partners-with-segway-to-build-electric-scooters/ Segway actually manufactures scooters for e-scooter rental agency Lime].

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is getting of his e-scooter, with the bicycle-helmet hanging on the handlebars. He has stopped right in front of White Hat who addresses him.]
:White Hat: Hey, you got one of those e-scooters!
:Cueball: Yeah!

:[Cueball is now standing next to the scooter holding on to the handlebars with one hand. Both he and White hat looks down on the scooter.]
:White Hat: So what do you think? I hear so much about these things.

:[A large panel just with White Hat who is spreading his arms out.]
:White Hat: Are they impractical and unsafe toys? Or a last-mile transit revolution?

:[Closeup on White Hat holding both arms out and up with palms held up.]
:White Hat: A low-carbon car replacement? Or Silicon Valley sidewalk clutter?

:[In a frame-less panel only Cueball and his e-scooter is shown.]
:Cueball: Well, having given it lots of thought, here is my opinion on scooters:

:[Cueball is bending in the knees and holding on to the handlebars with both hand as White Hat is looking at him, while Cueball stats making machine noises. The letters in Cueball's noises changes size up and down to indicate he is modulating the volume.]
:Cueball: Zooooooom!
:Cueball: Neeeeeoooormmm
:Cueball: Vrrrm vrrmvrmm
:Cueball: Wheeee!

:[Cueball changes feet and arms position as he continues making sounds as in the previous panel, White Hat seems to have taken a step back.]
:Cueball: Pew pew pew!
:Cueball: Bzzzzt kaboom!
:White Hat: Wait, why are there lasers?
:Cueball: Pew!

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category: Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category: Comics featuring White Hat]]

Talk:2174: First News Memory

2019-07-14T13:27:34Z

162.158.158.165: /* First News Memory */

AAAAA, black hat is an alien confirmed in XKCD cinematic universe canon!!!1! [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 23:33, 10 July 2019 (UTC)

Should it be linked to [[:category:Comics to make one feel old|Comics to make one feel old]]? it is kind of a similar theme. especially [[1686: Feel Old]]. Also (not of the feel old series): [[1093: Forget]]. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 05:56, 11 July 2019 (UTC)

== First News Memory ==

The challenger disaster was my first news memory too. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.124|108.162.241.124]] 19:37, 10 July 2019 (UTC)
: The Challenger disaster was for me, too -- except I distinctly remember it being during my 8th grade year (two years after it had occurred). Earlier still would be Mt. St. Helens' blowing it's top (well, side) -- except it wasn't a news event, it was a life event (we lived in Idaho at the time, and had a lot of the first ash that came down...) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.52|162.158.75.52]] 05:58, 11 July 2019 (UTC)
:: Wait... is the Challenger disaster my first news memory if I watched it happen live? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.124|108.162.241.124]] 12:26, 11 July 2019 (UTC)

Bernie Sanders not being admitted into debates was mine...
[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 19:54, 10 July 2019 (UTC)
:The debate was with Moses -- Bernie is ''old''. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 19:59, 10 July 2019 (UTC)
::And yet distinctly more lucid than Biden & more active than Trump. Bernie's age doesn't concern me much. [[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 20:50, 10 July 2019 (UTC)

I'm sure I must have watched the moon landing, but I don't actually remember it (I was 8 at the time). I remember Nixon being elected, but I'm not sure if it was 1968 or 1972.[[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]])

I was five and was allowed to stay up very late - i think I remember being allowed to stay up more than the moon landing. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.67|162.158.154.67]] 22:10, 10 July 2019 (UTC)

I vaguely remember the last moon landing (family didn’t have TV for the first three) but I very clearly remember the first picture of Mars sent back by the Viking lander. They actually interrupted the regular programming to show it live.[[Special:Contributions/172.69.234.132|172.69.234.132]] 04:23, 11 July 2019 (UTC)

If it's supposed it's first news memory you remember clearly, mine would be the {{w|September 11 attacks}} ... however, i'm sure it was nowhere near first news I was watching. It's just that the ones before were either hard to date (like some road accidents) or not visual enough (talking heads), so I don't remember if I watched that one in TV or read it in newspaper. Also, I suspect it was first news I saw outside of regular news show: they interrupted what was supposed to be in TV at that time, so I though it's some catastrophic movie first. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 10:53, 11 July 2019 (UTC)

For me it was the German election results 1998, where Schröder became the new Kanzler. 3 Years later, 9/11 is much clearer on my mind however --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 11:11, 11 July 2019 (UTC)

It's very hazy, I don't have many memories from when I was young but I recall McCain being defeated. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.234.136|172.69.234.136]] 12:28, 11 July 2019 (UTC)

What comes to my mind was the Great Alaska Earthquake which I read about in the "Weekly Reader" distributed in elementary school. My memory is that I was about 8 years old, but in fact the Alaska earthquake was in March 1964 and I was 10 years old. Which makes the Kennedy assassination in November 1963 my first strong news memory. So this demonstrates the malleability of (at least my) memory. [[User:Rtanenbaum|Rtanenbaum]] ([[User talk:Rtanenbaum|talk]]) 13:22, 11 July 2019 (UTC)

My first news memory was watching the Apollo–Soyuz link-up from the Apollo side. NASA televised the opening of the hatch on the Apollo and shaking hands with the Soviet cosmonaut and I remember my mom explaining that that was happening up in space way above us. [[User:Nutster|Nutster]] ([[User talk:Nutster|talk]]) 13:59, 11 July 2019 (UTC)

Mine was the 1976 election of Carter over Ford. Mom was Democrat and her stepfather was Republican. His derision of Carter was...exuberant. [[User:Observer of the Absurd|Observer of the Absurd]] ([[User talk:Observer of the Absurd|talk]]) 16:20, 11 July 2019 (UTC)

You all make me feel very young... My first news memory was 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, but it's very vague... [[Special:Contributions/172.68.51.166|172.68.51.166]] 09:28, 12 July 2019 (UTC)

For me, it was some news story about Tony Blair. No idea what the story was, and I know I've seen the news before that, but that's the first I can remember.
It would have been the Fairford MIG 21 crash (mid air collision) in 1993. But I was camping there and had no access to a TV. I did however get to see fresh wreckage, both on the runway, and in the (otherwise empty) field next to the one I was staying in... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.115|162.158.154.115]] 10:05, 12 July 2019 (UTC)

I'm so old that I already forgot everything, but I still remember the daily news on the 'Nam. Being about 14 and a German, I shouldn't have cared less, but I definitely rooted for the Commies. :P [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.201|141.101.104.201]] 13:51, 12 July 2019 (UTC)

Another old guy who remembers the JFK assassination. I remember the school principal announced it over the PA. I was 8 years old. We watched the entire funeral procession on TV at home. Of course with something that has been talked about for so long it's hard to forget.
[[User:OldTimer|OldTimer]] ([[User talk:OldTimer|talk]]) 17:35, 12 July 2019 (UTC)

Margaret Thatcher, MP, gaining leadership of the Conservative Party. Can't remember when I later learnt she became Prime Minister, though. There's a gap. (*Insert joke about current leadership contest, here...*) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.165|162.158.158.165]] 13:27, 14 July 2019 (UTC)

== Explain the comic ==

(Flashblub memories \ Mandela effect)
I think we need an explanation of Flashbulb memories, for sure. [[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 20:50, 10 July 2019 (UTC)

== Details hazy ==

"Challenger crashed into and destroyed the Berlin Wall" ... 'That's right, isn't it?' - ''Dexter Walker'' (played by Daryl Mitchell) on ''The John Laroquette Show''
[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 20:50, 10 July 2019 (UTC)

== Links to character pages ==

This comic especially felt like it needed links to character pages, so I added them. If we have a policy not to do that, please feel free to unlink. [[User:Jkshapiro|Jkshapiro]] ([[User talk:Jkshapiro|talk]]) 02:10, 11 July 2019 (UTC)

== Deny/refute ==
In comment on title text, I changed refutes to denies. Refute means to actually prove something is untrue, not the same as just denying it is true. One deals with proven fact, the other is unsupported opinion.
:This is a definition, but it can also mean: "deny or contradict (a statement or accusation)", from the Latin refutare, to repel or rebut. [[User:OhFFS|OhFFS]] ([[User talk:OhFFS|talk]]) 15:29, 12 July 2019 (UTC)

== Amnesia (frame three) ==

Has White Hat ever evidenced amnesia before? It just feels like such an unlikely explanation for his comment. Amnesia is a rare and notable thing, and there's something disproportionate about using it as a throwaway line in an otherwise unrelated strip. [[User:Jkshapiro|Jkshapiro]] ([[User talk:Jkshapiro|talk]]) 02:45, 12 July 2019 (UTC)

2175: Flag Interpretation

2019-07-14T13:21:14Z

162.158.158.165: /* Table */ Seemed more obvious that there'd be original+clone, but let's play it whichever way you want.

{{comic
| number = 2175
| date = July 12, 2019
| title = Flag Interpretation
| image = flag_interpretation.png
| titletext = When Salvador Dalí died, it took months to get all the flagpoles sufficiently melted.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by an IMPORTANT CLONE. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
In many countries including the United States (whose flag is depicted in the comic), it is customary to lower the flag to {{w|half staff}} when important public figures die. This is normally done by raising the flag to full height, then immediately "lowering" it to half height. In the US, regulations regarding flying the flag at half staff specify the length of time for the flag to be flown at half staff, and are based on the importance of the person who has died. There are no regulations where the flag would be flown at any height other than full height or half staff, and there are no regulations where multiple flags would be flown.

The definition of half-staff, or half-mast, differs between countries and does not necessarily imply flying the flag at half the height of the pole or mast. For example, in the USA the flag is usually flown at half the height of the pole, whereas UK practice is to leave space for an 'invisible flag' above the flown flag, which may mean flying the flag near the top of the pole depending on its height. These differing practices contribute to confusion and ambiguity concerning the flag height, which is exploited in the comic.

Randall, as usual, makes a humorous list of fictional additional traditions.

Flying the US flag {{w|Distress_signal#Inverted_flags|upside down}} is widely considered a distress signal, and would not be intended to indicate an important figure has died. Since on average [https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/ someone dies every few seconds], it would indeed be extremely unlikely that no one would die for weeks in a row. Although not having anyone die seems good on the surface, it would trigger alarm about why this was happening; what mysterious force could possibly cause cessation of all deaths? And will it continue into the future, triggering an overpopulation crisis in short order?

The second-to-last panel is a reference to the {{w|Trolley problem}}, a well-known thought experiment in ethics: An out-of-control trolley is running toward five people who are on the tracks. If you do nothing, these five will be killed. However, you can trigger a switch that will divert the trolley onto a side track, where there is one person who would be killed. Which is the more ethical option?

The title text is a reference to ''{{w|The Persistence of Memory}}'' and other paintings and sculptures by {{w|Salvador Dalí}} which include watches and other objects that are melting.

===Table===
{| border =1 width=100% cellpadding=5 class="wikitable"
! Flag Position !! Randall's Interpretation || Explanation
|-
|Flag at half mast
|Someone important died.
|In the U.S., it is customary to lower the flag to half mast when somebody important died. In the flag raising ritual, the flag is supposed to be raised to full mast first and then lowered back to half mast. At the end of the day, the flag is supposed to re-raised to full mast before lowering the flag from the flagpole.
|-
|Flag at three-quarter mast
|Someone died but we're not sure how we feel about them.
|Randall seems to interpret a single full-mast flag as meaning "nobody important died". If so, 3/4 mast is a compromise between that and the half mast meaning; another way to interpret it might be to say "someone half-important died".
|-
|Flag at base of the mast
|Everyone important died.
|Likewise, if the flag is lowered halfway when an important person dies, lowering it twice as far implies that multiple important people have died. No intermediate positions are shown, so we can't be sure exactly how many. However, Randall does not specify his definition of "everyone," so this scenario could possibly imply that there was an event that led to the complete cessation of life on Earth.
|-
|Two flags at full mast
|Someone important was successfully cloned.
|Following the "flag for important people" rule, two flags would mean two (cloned) important people.
|-
|Two flags at half mast
|An important person died battling their evil clone.
|The concept of evil clone (or twin) is popular in fiction; in this case, two flags at half mast would mean that both clones (good and evilly diverged), or perhaps the cloned person and their clone-gone-bad (antithetical to the presumably 'good' original), died in some battle where both failed in trying to establish themselves as the sole surviving version.
|-
|Flag at half mast and upside-down
|Nobody has died for weeks and that seems good but statistically it's very alarming.
|The fact that nobody died for weeks is an impressive statistic since many deaths occur every day, so it would indicate a big change in society for this happen. Flying a flag upside-down is {{w|Flag_desecration#Flying_a_U.S._flag_upside_down|often used as}} "a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property".
|-
|One normal-sized flag at half mast and five tiny flags at full mast
|Someone diverted a trolley to save five people by killing one important person.
|This is a reference to the {{w|Trolley_problem|trolley problem.}}. The small flags are for the non-important people. Since they are not important, their flags are smaller.
|-
|No flag on the pole
|The person who knows where the flag is stored at night died.
|Presumably the flag-keeper died during the night, and nobody living knows where the flag is stored and can't seem to locate it to put it on the flagpole.
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[8 panels in 2 rows, 4 panels per row - each panel shows a flagpole in a different state of flying flag(s) with a caption at the bottom of the panel below the flagpole.]
:[The US flag at half mast.]
:Caption: Someone important died
:[The same flag at three-quarter mast.]
:Caption: Someone died but we're not sure how we feel about them
:[The flag at the base of the mast.]
:Caption: Everyone important died
:[Two identical flags at full mast.]
:Caption: Someone important was successfully cloned
:[Two identical flags at half mast.]
:Caption: An important person died battling their evil clone
:[An upside-down flag at half mast.]
:Caption: Nobody has died for weeks and that seems good but statistically it's very alarming.
:[A normal-sized flag at half mast and five tiny flags at full mast.]
:Caption: Someone diverted a trolley to save five people by killing one important person
:[A flagpole with no flag.]
:Caption: The person who knows where the flag is stored at night died.

{{comic discussion}}