explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:2042: Rolle's Theorem

2018-09-07T04:40:57Z

162.158.165.124: Rolle's nontrivial! FTC nontrivial!

Now we wait for https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munroes_theorem. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.54.165|172.69.54.165]] 15:51, 5 September 2018 (UTC)
:Can't wait to see how long it takes to remove the article. [[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]]) 17:05, 5 September 2018 (UTC)

:Proposed ideas for Munroe's Law:
::- Any seemingly simple idea will be difficult to prove; the simpler it seems, the harder the proof.
::- Any proof which is discovered by a layperson will have been previously discovered by an expert (or an "expert") in the field.
:[[User:Rajakiit|Raj-a-Kiit]] ([[User talk:Rajakiit|talk]]) 17:57, 5 September 2018 (UTC)
:I do not have the time to do it good, so here a suggestion: Would someone go to the wikipedia page of Rolle's theorem and add a "in popular culture" section? may be a first? Not even "Nash equilibrum" has that :-) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.234.16|162.158.234.16]] 08:13, 6 September 2018 (UTC)

I feel like Euclid beat Randall to the punch here, a couple millennia. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.146|162.158.155.146]] 16:54, 5 September 2018 (UTC)

I don't see that Thales has proven Randall's theorem. Do not to be confused with {{w|Thales's theorem}}, that's about right angles. Maybe I'm blind or just dumb, but if so it has to be explained with more traceable background. I just believe that this diagonal is so trivial that even the ancient Greeks weren't engaged on a proof. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:38, 5 September 2018 (UTC)
* From {{w|Thales|Wikipedia}}: Other quotes from Proclus list more of Thales' mathematical achievements: "They say that Thales was the first to demonstrate that the circle is bisected by the diameter, the cause of the bisection being the unimpeded passage of the straight line through the centre." [[User:Alexei Kopylov|Alexei Kopylov]] ([[User talk:Alexei Kopylov|talk]]) 05:39, 6 September 2018 (UTC)
* On the other hand not all historian believe Proclus. But van der Waerden does: [https://books.google.com/books?id=HK3vCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA88#v=onepage&q&f=false]. [[User:Alexei Kopylov|Alexei Kopylov]] ([[User talk:Alexei Kopylov|talk]]) 05:49, 6 September 2018 (UTC)

:''Rolle's Theorem counterexample?''
Isn't the TAN(x) function a counterexample to this? Starting at a given point, it rises to infinity, then returns from negative infinity to the same point without ever having a slope of zero. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.58.89|172.68.58.89]] 06:58, 6 September 2018 (UTC)
:TAN(x) isn't differentiable at pi/2, hence the theorem doesn't apply--[[Special:Contributions/162.158.92.40|162.158.92.40]] 07:48, 6 September 2018 (UTC)
::And tan(x) has a slope of 0 at pi, so even if it applied, it wouldn't prove it wrong. A better example would be 1/x, but still invalid. [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 08:01, 6 September 2018 (UTC)
:::Nope: tan(x) has a slope of 1 at pi, and its slope is never less than 1. Of course, that doesn't make it a counterexample. Zetfr 09:17, 6 September 2018 (UTC)

The math in the comic is well explained, but shouldn't there be something about the "math equivalent of the clueless art museum visitor..." part? Zetfr 09:17, 6 September 2018 (UTC)

Just so we're on the same page, while the proof of Rolle's theorem is not completely trivial, neither is it difficult by any means. Proving it seems to be a pretty common homework assignment in undergrad math classes, for example, so one might legitimately ask why it deserved to be named. Perhaps it's simply that it's old enough that the methods at the time were crappy, and so modern proofs are much easier. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.22.140|172.69.22.140]]
: It is named because it's a very important theorem in calculus, used to prove many other theorems or results. So when you need to prove something using this property, instead of re-demonstrating it or merely saying "it is well known that..." (which often raises alarm bells in the mind of the reader/corrector), all you have to do is reference Rolle's theorem.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.158|162.158.155.158]] 11:08, 6 September 2018 (UTC)
:: It could almost be called "Rolle's lemma". [[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.103|162.158.154.103]] 12:28, 6 September 2018 (UTC)
: When I am teaching Rolle's theorem, I always make it a point to draw the link to reals. Rolle's theorem fails when the output is complex valued. Then you can see for yourself how non-trivial this is. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.165.124|162.158.165.124]] 04:40, 7 September 2018 (UTC)

Has anyone else noted the irony of having a wiki page to explain a comic whose subject is how some things are self-evident? [[User:JamesCurran|JamesCurran]] ([[User talk:JamesCurran|talk]]) 20:13, 6 September 2018 (UTC)

Does the Kepler Conjecture actually belong on that list at the end? Most of the others are "derp" level intuitively obvious and/or essentially tautological on a very basic level, but the Kepler Conjecture couldn't actually be exhaustively proven until machine computation, nor is it intuitively definitive--if you've ever stacked round things into a box you've noticed that it feels like you're wasting a lot of space at the edges. So...? [[User:AtrumMessor|AtrumMessor]] ([[User talk:AtrumMessor|talk]]) 21:37, 6 September 2018 (UTC)

I also suggest that Fundamental Theorem of Calculus be removed from this list. Firstly, the beginner student, just introduced to derivatives and antiderivatives, will not easily see that antiderivatives are the same as finding areas under curves. Instead, it is only obvious upon hindsight, after instruction. More importantly, a restriction of the FTC to better-behaved spaces shows a far greater insanity: the restricted FTC is a consequence of generalised Stokes's theorem '''applied twice'''. This operation is so highly unintuitive, that one simply cannot claim that this is in any way, shape, or form, trivial. I think that trying to pretend that anything in beginning calculus is obvious to students is just going to alienate them rather than soothe their worries. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.165.124|162.158.165.124]] 04:40, 7 September 2018 (UTC)

"Munroe's theorem" should definitely refer to the circle thing in the alt text

1970: Name Dominoes

2018-08-22T07:17:06Z

162.158.165.124: add amy adams

{{comic
| number = 1970
| date = March 21, 2018
| title = Name Dominoes
| image = name_dominoes.png
| titletext = In competition, you can only play a name if you know who the person is. No fair saying "Frank ... Johnson. That sounds like a real person! Let me just Google him real quick."
}}

*A large version of the comic picture can be found [https://xkcd.com/1970/large/ here].
*A numbered version can be found [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/73/1970-_Name_Dominoes_-_The_large_image_with_numbers.jpg here].

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Some of the names at the bottom need to be explained, connections need to be finished, and some links are wrong (Maybe typo by an editor or a mistake on Randall's part? Needs to be sorted out). Good luck to the brave soul who manages to complete the table, and thanks in advance. Do NOT delete this tag too soon. }}

{{w|Dominoes}} is a family of boardgames played with rectangular "domino" tiles. A domino tile is divided into two squares, each displaying a number. Under most rules, a domino tile is placed on the table adjacent to another tile, and the adjacent ends must match in some way (usually by the number displayed on the touching ends). Randall's "name dominoes" shows a set of domino tiles with people's names instead of numbers, and adjacent tiles are matched by whether the closest name is the same (such as how Chris Evans' family name matches Evan Taylor Jones' given name).

The title text spells out a rule that a player may only place a tile if they know who that person is. This is a variation of a rule in {{w|Scrabble}}, where a player loses a turn if their chosen word don't survive a dictionary challenge over the validity of the word. This rule implies that players are allowed to create new name dominoes tiles and that it is not a fixed set. In this case the player that is challenged has used the name Frank Johnson of which there are {{w|Frank Johnson|12 exact matches}} on Wikipedia along with six with a middle name and more. (The player was likely trying to place a tile in the upper-right area of the board, in an attempt to connect the "Frank Vincent" and "Lyndon Johnson" dominoes. The move was subsequently made impossible when the "Francis Drake" domino was played.) In a google search as of the day the comic came out the first hit was {{w|Frank Johnson (basketball)|Frank Johnson}} who is a retired American professional basketball player and coach. Randall has made several [[:Category:Basketball|references to basketball]] in his comics.

A large board is covered in rectangular "dominoes" (271 pieces), with each domino bearing the name of a "well-known" person or character (fictional). The dominoes are arranged as if a game of dominoes were being played, but instead of the game requiring the number of spots of adjacent dominoes to match up, this game requires adjacent ''names'' to match up. Because most people have two or more names, different matches are made at each end of a domino. Fun fact is that two of the people are "named after" the game: {{w|Fats Domino}} and {{w|Domino Harvey}}.

The match can be exact (e.g., "Kevin" on one domino adjacent to "Kevin" on another), homonymic (e.g., "Klein" adjacent to "Kline"), nickname-based (e.g., "James" adjacent to "Jimmy", which in turn is adjacent to "Jim"), or gender different versions of a name (e.g., "Olivia" adjacent to "Oliver"). Sometimes last names are matched up with first names (e.g., "{{w|Elizabeth Warren}}" adjacent to "{{w|Warren Beatty}}"), and in some cases only a single name is used (e.g., "{{w|Columbo}}", "{{w|Drake_(musician)|Drake}}", "{{w|Garfield_(character)|Garfield}}", "{{w|Prince_(musician)|Prince}}"). Singular names are represented by a half-size square "domino" (or "{{w|Polyomino|monomino}}"), with a few exceptions: "{{w|Garnet_(Steven_Universe)|Garnet}}" has a full-size tile (a complex reference explained below), and "{{w|Batman}}" and "{{w|Superman}}" have full-size tiles and are placed as though they were two-part names: the first square of "Superman" is matched with "Super", and the second square is matched with the second square of "Batman" (as though both characters had the last name "Man"). Some people have three or more names (e.g., "{{w|Frank Lloyd Wright}}") and have a 3-square domino tile (or "straight {{w|Tromino|tromino}}", 50% longer than normal) which permits matching to a middle name (e.g. "Frank Lloyd Wright" is matched to "{{w|Lloyd Alexander}}" and "{{w|Harold Lloyd}}").

The names come from a wide variety of fields: scientists (e.g., {{w|Isaac Newton}}), historical figures ({{w|George Washington}}), musicians ({{w|Drake (musician)|Drake}}), politicians ({{w|John Kerry}}), actors ({{w|Kevin Costner}}), writers ({{w|Washington Irving}}), fashion designers ({{w|Oscar de la Renta}}), and so on. Most of the names are real people but a few are fictional characters, including some non-human characters like {{w|Garfield_(character)|Garfield}} and {{w|Grover#Super_Grover|Super Grover}}. In one case the nick name for a company is used: {{w|Ma Bell}} aka Bell System.

One notable reference beyond just the use of a name is in the bottom left, there is the connection [ {{w|William Safire}} ][ Garnet ][ {{w|Jack Ruby|Ruby, Jack}} ]. The connection seems to be based on the fact that {{w|Sapphire}}, {{w|Garnet}} and {{w|Ruby}} are all {{w|gemstones}}, which does not match the implied rules of the game. This tile is a reference to the character {{w|Garnet_(Steven_Universe)|Garnet}} in the cartoon {{w|Steven Universe}}, who is a "fusion" formed by two Gems: Ruby and Sapphire. Thus, the name "Garnet" is treated as though it was two names "Ruby" and "Sapphire", requiring a two-square tile despite having a one-word name. Randall has previously made references to this universe in [[1608: Hoverboard]]. (See [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1608_1031x1095y_Steven_Universe_family_and_ice_cream_prediction.png this] and [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fa/1608_1077x1109y_Darth_Vaders_talks_about_Steven_Universe_on_the_bridge_Megan_adjust_antenna.png this] image from that comic).

Additionally, Ayn Rand, Paul Ryan and Rand Paul have been mentioned before, in the title text of [[1277: Ayn Random]]. That idea may have been the prototype for this.

In at least one case it is not entirely clear who is being referred to: "John Kelly" most likely refers to Gen. {{w|John F. Kelly}}, Donald Trump's chief of staff, but the name is extremely common and could equally refer to {{w|John Kelly|any number of people}}.

==Table of names==
*The number # refers to the numbers on this [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/73/1970-_Name_Dominoes_-_The_large_image_with_numbers.jpg numbered picture].
**Read more on this page:
***[[1970: Name Dominoes/Numbered images]]
*Wiki links not tested as they were set in only from the name in the comic.
**Spell checking...

{| class="wikitable sortable"
!style="width:15%"|Domino
!style="width:45%"|Notability and notes
!style="width:15%"|Connections
!style="width:20%"|Mode
!style="width:5%"|#
|-
|{{w|Christian Campbell}}
|Canadian American stage and screen actor, writer, and photographer. Most likely refers to the actor, but there are also a Trinidadian-Bahamian poet called {{w|Christian Campbell (poet)|Christian Campbell}}.
|Neve Campbell Naomi Campbell
|Last-Last Last-Last
|1
|-
|{{w|Neve Campbell}}
|Canadian actress, known for starring in the movie series {{w|Scream (1996 film)|Scream}}.
|Christian Campbell Joseph Campbell
|Last-Last Last-Last
|2
|-
|{{w|Joe McCarthy}}
|Joseph McCarthy, (also called {{w|Joseph_McCarthy#Legacy|Joe McCarthy}}), served as U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 until his death in 1957. {{w|McCarthyism}} is named after him. It was the practice of making accusations of subversion or treason without proper regard for evidence, especially caused by fear of Communist influence during the beginning of the cold war. McCarthyism has its origins in the period in the United States known as the Second Red Scare, lasting roughly from 1947 to 1956.
|Eugene McCarthy Joseph Smith
|Last-Last First-First (approximate)
|3
|-
|{{w|Eugene McCarthy}}
|Eugene Joseph McCarthy was an American politician, poet, and a long-time Congressman from Minnesota. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1949 to 1959 and the United States Senate from 1959 to 1971. (He is not to be confused with the other Senator McCarthy, Joseph McCarthy, see #3)
|Joe McCarthy Gene Vincent
|Last-Last First-First (approximate)
|4
|-
|{{w|Gene Vincent}}
|American musician who pioneered the styles of rock and roll and rockabilly. His 1956 top ten hit with his Blue Caps, "Be-Bop-A-Lula", is considered a significant early example of rockabilly.
|Eugene McCarthy Gene Kelly Frank Vincent
|First-First (approximate) First-First Last-Last
|5
|-
|{{w|Gene Kelly}}
|American actor and dancer known primarily for musicals such as 'Singing in the rain'
|Gene Vincent John Kelly
|First-First Last-Last
|6
|-
|{{w|Kate Hudson}}
|Golden Globe-winning American actress. Won for playing Penny Lane in Cameron Crowe’s Almost Famous in 2000.
|Rock Hudson Katherine Johnson
|Last-Last First-First (approximate)
|7
|-
|{{w|Rock Hudson}}
|American actor who was viewed as a prominent 'heartthrob' of the Hollywood Golden Age, staring as the lead man in many movies during the 1950s and 60s, among other {{w|Giant (1956 film)|Giant}}, James Deans last film, for which both where nominated for an Oscar in the best actor category. He later became known for his secret homosexual life. Hudson died from AIDS-related complications in 1985, becoming the first major celebrity to die from an AIDS-related illness.
|Katie Hudson The Rock
|Last-Last First-Last
|8
|-
|{{w|Gordon Brown}}
|British Prime Minister from 2007-2010.
|James Brown
|Last-Last
|9
|-
|{{w|James Brown}}
|American singer, known as the Godfather of Soul
|Gordon Brown John Brown James Newton Howard
|Last-Last Last-Last First-First
|10
|-
|{{w|John Brown (abolitionist)|John Brown}}
|American abolitionist who led an attack on the federal armory at Harpers Ferry. There are several other {{w|John Brown|John Browns}}.
|James Brown John Howard John Wayne
|Last-Last First-First First-First
|11
|-
|{{w|John Howard}}
|Australian politician. Served as 25th Prime Minister of Australia from 1996-2007. There are several other {{w|John Howard (disambiguation)|John Howards}} but this Prime Minister is by far the best known among them.
|John Brown Howard Stern
|First-First Last-First
|12
|-
|{{w|Columbo}}
|Fictional character. Homicide detective from American TV show "Columbo"; portrayed by actor Peter Falk.
|Chris Columbus
|Only-Last (approximate)
|13
|-
|{{w|Chris Columbus (filmmaker)|Chris Columbus}}
|Film director and screenwriter.
|Columbo Christopher Columbus Chris Hughes
|Last-Only (approximate) First-First (approximate) and Last-Last First-First
|14
|-
|{{w|Christopher Columbus}}
|Italian explorer. Credited with "discovering" the Americas in 1492 by leading voyages and establishing continued ties between Europe and the Americas.
|Chris Columbus
|First-First (approximate) and Last-Last
|15
|-
|{{w|Naomi Campbell}}
|British model and actress.
|Christian Campbell Joseph Campbell Naomi Klein
|Last-Last Last-Last First-First
|16
|-
|{{w|Joseph Campbell}}
|American author. Most known for his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces about the hero type found throughout world mythologies.
|Neve Campbell Naomi Campbell Joseph Smith
|Last-Last Last-Last First-First
|17
|-
|{{w|Joseph Smith}}
|American religious leader; founder of Mormonism. Publisher of The Book of Mormon.
|Joe McCarthy Joseph Campbell
|First-First (approximate) First-First
|18
|-
|{{w|Frank Vincent}}
|American actor.
|Gene Vincent Francis Drake
|Last-Last First-First (approximate)
|19
|-
|{{w|John Kelly}}
|White House Chief of Staff under President Donald Trump. Retired US Marine Corps general.
|Gene Kelly Katherine Johnson
|Last-Last First-Last (approximate)
|20
|-
|{{w|Katherine Johnson}}
|African-American mathematician at NASA. Calculated trajectories, launch windows, and flight paths for NASA moon missions and the Space Shuttle.
|Kate Hudson John Kelly Lyndon Johnson
|First-First (approximate) Last-First (approximate) Last-Last
|21
|-
|{{w|The Rock}}
|Nickname for Dwayne Johnson, a pro wrestler, and actor.
|Rock Hudson Chris Rock Oscar the Grouch
|Last-First Last-Last First-Middle
|22
|-
|{{w|Chris Rock}}
|American comedian.
|The Rock Chris Isaac
|Last-Last First-First
|23
|-
|{{w|Chris Isaac}}
|Former quarterback in the Canadian Football League. Probable misspelling of {{w|Chris Isaak}}, American musician.
|Chris Rock Isaac Newton
|First-First Last-First
|24
|-
|{{w|James Newton Howard}}
|American composer, conductor, music producer and musician.
|James Brown Isaac Newton Wayne Newton Wayne Howard
|First-First Middle-Last Middle-Last Last-Last
|25
|-
|{{w|John Wayne}}
|American actor, known primarily for roles in Westerns
|John Brown Wayne Newton
|First-First Last-First
|26
|-
|{{w|Howard Stern}}
|Radio talk show host. Known for {{w|The Howard Stern Show}}.
|John Howard Howard Hunt
|First-Last First-First
|27
|-
|{{w|Howard Hunt}}
|Former CIA operative, convicted for Watergate burglary.
|Howard Stern Helen Hunt
|First-First Last-Last
|28
|-
|{{w|Chris Hughes}}
|American entrepreneur who co-founded Facebook with Mark Zuckerberg.
|Chris Columbus Helen Hughes
|First-First Last-Last
|29
|-
|{{w|Naomi Watts}}
| Australian actress, born in Britain
|Naomi Klein James Watt (steam)
|First-First Last-Last (approximate)
|30
|-
|{{w|Naomi Klein}}
|Best known for the book "No Logo"
|Naomi Campbell Naomi Watts Kevin Kline
|First-First First-First Last-Last (approximate)
|31
|-
|{{w|Kevin Kline}}
|American actor
|Naomi Klein Kevin Bacon
|Last-Last (approximate) First-First
|32
|-
|{{w|Francis Bacon}}
|16th century English philosopher. Commonly credited with the phrase "knowledge is power".
|Francis Drake Kevin Bacon
|First-First Last-Last
|33
|-
|{{w|Francis Drake}}
|English privateer
|Frank Vincent Francis Bacon Frank Drake
|First-First (approximate) First-First First-First (approximate)
|34
|-
|{{w|Lyndon Johnson}}
|Former American president (1963-1969)
|Katherine Johnson
|Last-Last
|35
|-
|{{w|Oscar the Grouch}}
|A muppet who lives in a trash can from the children's TV show {{w|Sesame Street}}.
|The Rock Oscar Isaac
|Middle-Last First-First
|36
|-
|{{w|Oscar Isaac}}
|Actor.
|Oscar the Grouch Isaac Hayes Oscar de la Hoya
|First-First Last-First First-First
|37
|-
|{{w|Isaac Hayes}}
|American singer-songwriter
|Oscar Isaac Isaac Newton Sean Hayes
|First-Last First-First Last-Last
|38
|-
|{{w|Isaac Newton}}
|Well-known 15th century physicist who created the three laws of motion.
|Chris Isaac James Newton Howard Isaac Hayes
|First-Last Last-Middle First-First
|39
|-
|{{w|Wayne Newton}}
|Musician.
|James Newton Howard John Wayne Wayne Knight
|Last-Middle First-Last First-First
|40
|-
|{{w|Wayne Knight}}
|American actor best known for playing Newman in the TV show {{w|Seinfeld}}.
|Wayne Newton Wayne Brady
|First-First First-First
|41
|-
|{{w|Helen Hunt}}
|American actress
|Howard Hunt Helen Hughes Helen Thomas
|Last-Last First-First First-First
|42
|-
|{{w|Helen Hughes}}
|Australian economist
|Chris Hughes Helen Hunt
|Last-Last First-First
|43
|-
|{{w|James Watt|James Watt (Steam)}}
|Scottish inventor who perfected on the earlier Newcomen steam engine with a design that made it practical for widespread use and is credited with helping to usher in the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain. His name became the SI unit for power.
|Naomi Watts James Watt (Interior) Stephen James
|Last-Last (approximate) First-First and Last-Last First-Last
|44
|-
|{{w|James G. Watt|James Watt (Interior)}}
|U.S. Secretary of the Interior from 1981-1983
|James Watt (Steam)
|First-First and Last-Last
|45
|-
|{{w|Kevin Costner}}
|Academy Award-winning American actor.
|Kevin Bacon Kevin Love
|First-First First-First
|46
|-
|{{w|Kevin Bacon}}
|American actor. Known for {{w|Footloose (1984 film)|Footloose}}, and for {{w|Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon}}.
|Kevin Kline Francis Bacon Kevin Costner
|First-First Last-Last First-First
|47
|-
|{{w|Kevin Love}}
|Relatively famous and accomplished professional basketball player who won an NBA championship with the much more famous and accomplished LeBron James in Cleveland.
|Kevin Costner Kevin Smith
|First-First First-First
|48
|-
|{{w|Lisa Frank}}
|American businesswoman who founded {{w|Lisa Frank Incorporated}}.
|Frank Drake
|Last-First
|49
|-
|{{w|Frank Drake}}
|American astronomer and astrophysicist.
|Francis Drake Lisa Frank Drake
|Last-Last First-Last Last-Only
|50
|-
|{{w|Drake}}
|Grammy Award-winning Canadian rapper.
|Frank Drake
|Only-Last
|51
|-
|{{w|Oscar de la Renta}}
|Fashion designer.
|Oscar de la Hoya
|First-First
|52
|-
|{{w|Oscar de la Hoya}}
|Professional boxer who won multiple titles in different weight classes as well as an Olympic gold medal before his retirement in 2009.
|Oscar Isaac Oscar de la Renta
|First-First First-First
|53
|-
|{{w|Sean Hayes (actor)|Sean Hayes}}
|Sean Hayes is an American actor, singer, comedian, and producer. He is best known for his role as Jack McFarland on the NBC sitcom Will & Grace.
|Isaac Hayes Wallace Shawn
|Last-Last First-Last (approximate)
|54
|-
|{{w|Wallace Shawn}}
|American actor. Vizzini in The Princess Bride
|George Wallace Charles Wallace Sean Hayes
|First-Last First-Last Last-First (approximate)
|55
|-
|{{w|Wayne Howard}}
|
|James Newton Howard Wayne Brady
|Last-Last First-First
|56
|-
|{{w|Wayne Brady}}
|American comedian, known for {{w|Whose Line Is It Anyway? (U.S. TV series)|Whose Line Is It Anyway?}}
|Wayne Howard Wayne Knight James Brady Tom Brady
|First-First First-First Last-Last Last-Last
|57
|-
|{{w|James Brady}}
|White House Press Secretary for US President Ronald Reagan (1981-1989) who was shot during an assassination attempt against Reagan in 1981. Subsequent gun control legislation known as the "Brady Bill" was named for him.
|Wayne Brady James Monroe
|Last-Last First-First
|58
|-
|{{w|Tom Brady}}
|Quarterback for the {{w|New England Patriots}}. Notable for winning 5 Super Bowls.
|James Brady Helen Thomas
|Last-Last First-Last (approximate)
|59
|-
|{{w|Helen Thomas}}
|
|Helen Hunt Tom Brady Tom Hanks
|First-First Last-Last (approximate) Last-Last (approximate)
|60
|-
|{{w|Tom Hanks}}
|Academy award winning actor. Known for {{w|Forrest Gump}}, {{w|Saving Private Ryan}}, {{w|Cast Away}}, and several other famous films.
|Helen Thomas Hank Aaron Hank Williams
|First-Last (approximate) Last-First (approximate) Last-First (approximate)
|61
|-
|{{w|Hank Aaron}}
|Former Major League Baseball player. Hit 755 career home runs, a record at the time.
|Tom Hanks Aaron Carter
|First-Last (approximate) Last-First
|62
|-
|{{w|Aaron Carter}}
|American singer.
|Hank Aaron
|First-Last
|63
|-
|{{w|Stephen James}}
|
|James Watt (Steam) Steve Harvey
|Last-First First-First (approximate)
|64
|-
|{{w|Will Smith}}
|American actor. Known for {{w|The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air}}
|Kevin Smith
|Last-Last
|65
|-
|{{w|Kevin Smith}}
|American writer and director of {{w|Clerks}} and other films who often also plays the character Silent Bob in his films.
|Will Smith Kevin Love Kevin James
|Last-Last First-First First-First
|66
|-
|{{w|Kevin James}}
|American actor. Known for {{w|Paul Blart: Mall Cop}}
|Kevin Smith James Saint James
|First-First Last-Last
|67
|-
|{{w|Garfield (character)|Garfield}}
|A fictional cat and the star of the eponymous ''{{w|Garfield}}'' comic by {{w|Jim Davis (cartoonist)|Jim Davis}}. Previously appeared in [[78: Garfield]].
|James Garfield
|Only-Last
|68
|-
|{{w|James Garfield}}
|20th President of the United States. Notably, he was assassinated after only 6 months.
|Garfield Etta James James Saint James
|Last-Only First-Last First-Last
|69
|-
|{{w|Warren Buffett}}
|Billionaire and CEO of {{w|Berkshire Hathaway}}.
|Jimmy Buffett Warren Beatty
|Last-Last First-First
|70
|-
|{{w|Jimmy Buffett}}
|American country musician.
|Etta James Warren Buffett Jim Jones
|First-Last (approximate) Last-Last First-First (approximate)
|71
|-
|{{w|Warren Beatty}}
|Actor.
|Warren Buffett Elizabeth Warren
|FIrst-First First-Last
|72
|-
|{{w|Elizabeth Warren}}
|Massachusetts Senator since 2013. Known for her work as a consumer rights activist.
|Warren Beatty Earl Warren Elizabeth Kolbert
|Last-First Last-Last First-First
|73
|-
|{{w|Earl Warren}}
|Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court from 1953 to 1969. Presided over several landmark cases including ''Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka'' (ruled segregation of public schools unconstitutional), ''Reynolds v. Sims'' (electoral districts for state legislature must be equal in population), and ''Miranda v. Arizona'' (suspects detained by police must be informed of their rights as an accused).
|Elizabeth Warren James Earl Jones
|Last-Last First-Middle
|74
|-
|{{w|Elizabeth Kolbert}}
|
|Elizabeth Warren Stephen Colbert
|First-First Last-Last (approximate)
|75
|-
|{{w|Stephen Colbert}}
|American talk show host. Known for {{w|The Colbert Report}} and {{w|The Late Show with Stephen Colbert}}
|Elizabeth Kolbert
|Last-Last (approximate)
|76
|-
|{{w|George Wallace}}
|American politician, who initially supported, but later renounced racial segregation.
|Wallace Shawn
|Last-First
|77
|-
|{{w|Charles Wallace}}
|
|Wallace Shawn Charles Manson
|Last-First First-First
|78
|-
|{{w|James Monroe}}
|Founding father and Fifth president of the USA
|James Brady Marilyn Monroe
|First-First Last-Last
|79
|-
|{{w|Marilyn Monroe}}
|American actress and pin-up model from the 50s. She was immensely famous during her time, and unexpectedly committed suicide at age 36.
|James Monroe Marilyn Manson
|Last-Last First-First
|80
|-
|{{w|Hank Williams}}
|Country singer
|Tom Hanks William C. Williams Robin Williams
|First-Last (approximate) Last-Last Last-Last
|81
|-
|{{w|William C. Williams}}
|American poet closely associated with modernism and imagism.
|Hank Williams Billy D. Williams
|Last-Last First-First (approximate) and Last-Last
|82
|-
|{{w|Steve Harvey}}
|Host of {{w|Family Feud}}.
|Stephen James Domino Harvey
|First-First (approximate) Last-Last
|83
|-
|{{w|Domino Harvey}}
|
|Steve Harvey Harvey Milk Fats Domino
|Last-Last Last-First First-Last
|84
|-
|{{w|Harvey Milk}}
|American politician and gay rights activist.
|Domino Harvey
|First-Last
|85
|-
|{{w|James Saint James}}
|
|Kevin James James Garfield Jimmy John
|Last-Last Last-First First-First (approximate)
|86
|-
|{{w|Etta James|Etta James (1)}}
|Used again in 266
|James Garfield Jimmy Buffett
|Last-First Last-First (approximate)
|87
|-
|{{w|Jim Jones}}
|Cult leader behind the 1978 {{w|Jonestown}} mass suicide in Guyana.
|Jimmy Buffett James Earl Jones Tom Jones
|First-First (approximate) Last-Last Last-Last
|88
|-
|{{w|James Earl Jones}}
|American actor. Voiced {{w|Darth Vader}} in the original Star Wars.
|Earl Warren Jim Jones Quincy Jones James Earl Ray
|Middle-First Last-Last Last-Last First-First
|89
|-
|{{w|Charlie Parker}}
|Jazz musician.
|Ray Parker Jr. Charles Manson
|Last-Last First-First (approximate)
|90
|-
|{{w|Ray Parker Jr.}}
|Singer and songwriter who wrote and performed the theme song to the 1984 film {{w|Ghostbusters}}.
|Charlie Parker Man Ray Rachael Ray
|Last-Last First-Last First-Last
|91
|-
|{{w|Ray Charles}}
|American blues musician. Blind from the age of 7.
|Charles Manson Rachael Ray Ray Allen
|Last-First First-Last First-First
|92
|-
|{{w|Charles Manson}}
|Cult leader of the {{w|Manson Family}}. Convicted of 7 murders; used Beatles songs as bases.
|Charles Wallace Charlie Parker Ray Charles Marilyn Manson
|First-First First-First (approximate) First-Last Last-Last
|93
|-
|{{w|Marilyn Manson}}
|American musician. Known for esoteric performances.
|Marilyn Monroe Charles Manson
|First-First Last-Last
|94
|-
|{{w|Robin Williams}}
|American stand up comedian. Voiced the Genie in {{w|Aladdin (1992 Disney film)|Aladdin}}.
|Hank Williams Billy D. Williams Robin Wright
|Last-Last Last-Last First-First
|95
|-
|{{w|Billy D. Williams}}
|American actor best known for playing {{w|Lando Calrissian}} in ''{{w|The Empire Strikes Back}}'' and ''{{w|Return of the Jedi}}''.
|William C. Williams Robin Williams Will Wright
|First-First (approximate) and Last-Last Last-Last First-First (approximate)
|96
|-
|{{w|Will Wright}}
|
|Billy D. Williams Robin Wright Wilber Wright
|First-First (approxiate) Last-Last Last-Last
|97
|-
|{{w|Fats Domino}}
|Jazz musician.
|Domino Harvey Fatty Arbuckle
|Last-First First-First (approximate)
|98
|-
|{{w|Bill Clinton}}
|42nd president of the United States. His wife, {{w|Hillary Clinton}}, ran against {{w|Donald Trump}} in the 2016 presidential election and was Secretary of State.
|George Clinton
|Last-Last
|99
|-
|{{w|Jimmy John}}
|Founder of the sandwich shop chain Jimmy John's.
|James Earl Jones John Kerry
|First-First (approximate) Last-First
|100
|-
|{{w|Tom Jones}}
|Can refer to the Welsh Singer or to the fictional character from the book of the same name by Henry Fielding
|
|
|101
|-
|{{w|Tommy John}}
|Former baseball pitcher who had a surgical graft done to replace a blown ligament in his pitching elbow in 1974; the procedure is now called Tommy John surgery.
|
|
|102
|-
|{{w|Quincy Jones}}
|American Jazz musician
|
|
|103
|-
|{{w|James Earl Ray}}
|Killer of Martin Luther King Jr.
|
|
|104
|-
|{{w|Man Ray}}
|Photographer (Dada, Surrealism).
|
|
|105
|-
|{{w|Rachel Ray}}
|Celebrity chef.
|
|
|106
|-
|{{w|Ray Allen}}
|Professional basketball player who retired in 2013. Won two NBA championships with the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat, making him the second teammate of {{w|LeBron James}} to appear on this list.
|
|
|107
|-
|{{w|Tim Allen}}
|American comedic actor. Created and starred in the long running sitcom "Home Improvement". Voiced Buzz Lightyear in {{w|Toy Story}}.
|
|
|108
|-
|{{w|Tim Cook}}
|Current (as of the time of this comic) Chief Executive Officer of {{w|Apple, Inc.}}
|
|
|109
|-
|{{w|Tim Howard}}
|Former goalkeeper for the United States men's national soccer team. Holds the record for most saves made in a World Cup match (15 against Belgium in 2010).
|
|
|110
|-
|{{w|Robin Wright}}
|American actress, aka Robin Wright-Penn
|
|
|111
|-
|{{w|Wilbur Wright}}
|One of the two Wright Brothers (the other was Orville) who made the world's first powered flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina in 1903.
|
|
|112
|-
|{{w|Fatty Arbuckle}}
|Comedian.
|
|
|113
|-
|{{w|Fat Joe}}
|Real name Joseph Antonio Cartagena, rapper.
|
|
|114
|-
|{{w|George Clinton}}
|Could be either the {{w|George Clinton (vice president)|19th Century politician}} who served as Governor of New York and later as Vice President under {{w|Thomas Jefferson}} and {{w|James Madison}}, or the {{w|George Clinton (musician)|musician}} who rose to fame in the 1970's as one of the biggest acts in funk music and entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.
|
|
|115
|-
|{{w|John Kerry}}
|Secretary of State under {{w|Barrack Obama}}. Ran against {{w|George W. Bush}} in the 2004 presidential election.
|
|
|116
|-
|{{w|Kerry Washington}}
|Actress in the TV show Scandal.
|
|
|117
|-
|{{w|John Irving}}
|Author.
|
|
|118
|-
|{{w|John Quincy Adams}}
|Sixth president of the United States and son of John Adams.
|
|
|119
|-
|{{w|John Adams}}
|Second president of the United States and father of John Quincy Adams.
|
|
|120
|-
|{{w|Amy Adams}}
|Amy Adams is an American actress.
|
|
|121
|-
|{{w|Aimee Mann}}
|Singer/Songwriter.
|
|
|122
|-
|{{w|Superman}}
|Superhero owned by DC comics who can fly and have super strength/invincibility.
|
|
|123
|-
|{{w|Batman}}
|Superhero owned by DC comics.
|
|
|124
|-
|{{w|Ayn Rand}}
|Russian political author, known for {{w|Atlas Shrugged}}. XKCD frequently makes fun of Rand's philosophy.
|
|
|125
|-
|{{w|Lily Allen}}
|British singer-songwriter, sometime actress.
|
|
|126
|-
|{{w|Paul Allen}}
|Co-founder of {{w|Microsoft}} along with Bill Gates and current owner of several professional sports teams in the Pacific Northwest (Seattle Seahawks, Portland Trail Blazers, part of Seattle Sounders FC).
|
|
|127
|-
|{{w|Ron Howard}}
|Actor and director. Most famously acted in ''{{w|Happy Days}}''; later directed ''{{w|Apollo 13 (film)|Apollo 13}}''.
|
|
|128
|-
|{{w|Howard Hughes}}
|American business tycoon
|
|
|129
|-
|{{w|Joe Kennedy}}
|US ambassador to the United Kingdom and father of {{w|John F. Kennedy}}.
|
|
|130
|-
|{{w|George Bush}}
|{{w|George H. W. Bush}} and {{w|George W. Bush}} (father and son, respectively), were both presidents of the United States.
|
|
|131
|-
|{{w|George Washington}}
|First president of the United States, and general during the Revolutionary War.
|
|
|132
|-
|{{w|Washington Irving}}
|Short story author who wrote "{{w|Rip Van Winkle}}" and "{{w|The Legend of Sleepy Hollow}}"
|
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|133
|-
|{{w|Martha Wasington}}
|Wife of George Washington.
|
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|134
|-
|{{w|Ma Rainey}}
|
|
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|135
|-
|{{w|Jack Ma}}
|
|
|
|136
|-
|{{w|Super Grover}}
|
|
|
|137
|-
|{{w|Jack Black}}
|Singer and actor.
|
|
|138
|-
|{{w|Rand Paul}}
|Republican senator from Kentucky; member of the {{w|Tea Party movement}}. Ran in the 2016 Republican presidential primary.
|
|
|139
|-
|{{w|Paul Ryan}}
|Republican representative from Wisconsin. Served as Speaker of the House at the time this comic was published.
|
|
|140
|-
|{{w|Paul Simon}}
|Singer.
|
|
|141
|-
|{{w|Ron Paul}}
|Libertarian politician. Known for running for president in many elections and mentioned often in xkcd.
|
|
|142
|-
|{{w|John Hughes}}
|Director famed for a series of 1980s coming of age movies including "Sixteen Candles", "The Breakfast Club", and "Pretty in Pink"
|
|
|143
|-
|{{w|Langston Hughes}}
|Writer.
|
|
|144
|-
|{{w|John F. Kennedy}}
|35th president of the United States. Known for his public assassination during a parade; subject to many conspiracy theories.
|
|
|145
|-
|{{w|Little Richard}}
|Early rock and roll singer known for his energetic and flamboyant style on songs such as "Tutti Frutti" and "Long Tall Sally"
|
|
|146
|-
|{{w|Rich Little}}
|American comedian known for his impressions of numerous celebrities and public figures
|
|
|147
|-
|{{w|Martha Stewart}}
|American TV personality. Convicted of insider trading in 2004.
|
|
|148
|-
|{{w|Yo Yo Ma}}
|Chinese cellist. Known for winning 18 Grammys; considered a child prodigy.
|
|
|149
|-
|{{w|Ma Bell}}
|Aka Bell System, the system of companies, led by the Bell Telephone Company and later by AT&T, which provided telephone services to much of the United States and Canada from 1877 to 1984.
|
|
|150
|-
|{{w|Grover Cleveland Alexander}}
|Pitcher named after the president; co-holds record for most wins by a pitcher in the National League (374).
|
|
|151
|-
|{{w|Grover Cleveland}}
|22nd and 24th president of the United States. Notably the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms.
|
|
|152
|-
|{{w|Jack White}}
|American musician. Part of {{w|The White Stripes}}.
|
|
|153
|-
|{{w|Jack Ryan}}
|Fictional character in the novels by Tom Clancy. Portrayed in Movies by Harrison Ford, Alec Baldwin, and Ben Affleck
|
|
|154
|-
|{{w|Debby Ryan}}
|
|
|
|155
|-
|{{w|Carly Simon}}
|Singer. "You're so vain" referenced on xkcd in <insert here>
|
|
|156
|-
|{{w|Carly Hughes}}
|
|
|
|157
|-
|{{w|Charles Evans Hughes}}
|
|
|
|158
|-
|{{w|John Williams}}
|American composer. Known for many famous movie soundtracks, including Star Wars and Harry Potter.
|
|
|159
|-
|{{w|Little John}}
|Fictional character in the Robin Hood Legend. Known for great stature and strength.
|
|
|160
|-
|{{w|Stuart Little}}
|Fictional character by E. B. White, an intelligent mouse.
|
|
|161
|-
|{{w|Potter Stewart}}
|
|
|
|162
|-
|{{w|Kristen Stewart}}
|American actress. Known for {{w|Twilight (2008 film)|Twilight}}.
|
|
|163
|-
|{{w|Kristen Bell}}
|American actress, known for various romantic comedies.
|
|
|164
|-
|{{w|Kristen Hooks}}
|
|
|
|165
|-
|{{w|Alexander Graham Bell}}
|Scottish inventor, credited with inventing the telephone.
|
|
|166
|-
|{{w|Franklin Graham}}
|
|
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|167
|-
|{{w|Lloyd Alexander}}
|
|
|
|168
|-
|{{w|Meg White}}
|Drummer. The other half of The White Stripes.
|
|
|169
|-
|{{w|Meg Ryan}}
|American actress. Known for 'WHen Harry met Sally'
|
|
|170
|-
|{{w|Debbie Reynolds}}
|American singer and actress.
|
|
|171
|-
|{{w|John Reynolds}}
|
|
|
|172
|-
|{{w|Carly Fiorina}}
|Former CEO of {{w|Hewlett-Packard}}. Ran for president in the 2016 Republican primaries.
|
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|173
|-
|{{w|Grace Lee Boggs}}
|
|
|
|174
|-
|{{w|Wade Boggs}}
|American baseball player. Played with the {{w|Boston Red Sox}}.
|
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|175
|-
|{{w|William Safire}}
|Writer and publicist.
|
|
|176
|-
|{{w|Prince William}}
|Member of the British Royal Family. Second in line for succession to the throne.
|
|
|177
|-
|{{w|Little Prince}}
|One of the main characters of ''{{w|The Little Prince}}'', a novella by {{w|Antoine de Saint-Exupéry}}. The Little Prince has previously appeared in [[618: Asteroid]], as well as [http://what-if.xkcd.com/68 article 68] of ''[[what if?]]''.
|
|
|178
|-
|{{w|Harry Potter}}
|Fictional main character in the Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
|
|
|179
|-
|{{w|James Potter}}
|Fictional character, father of Harry Potter.
|
|
|180
|-
|{{w|James Hook}}
|Fictional character from 'Peter Pan'
|
|
|181
|-
|{{w|James Dean}}
|American actor and teen icon. Starred in the films "Rebel Without a Cause", "East of Eden" and "Giant" before his sudden death in a car accident
|
|
|182
|-
|{{w|Aretha Franklin}}
|Soul singer, first woman to be inducted into the hall of fame and performer of Respect.
|
|
|183
|-
|{{w|Frank Lloyd Wright}}
|American architect, known for his unconventional buildings such as Fallingwater and the Guggenheim.
|
|
|184
|-
|{{w|Barry White}}
|American soul singer known for his deep, rich voice on songs such as "Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe"
|
|
|185
|-
|{{w|Walter White}}
|Main character from the TV show {{w|Breaking Bad}}.
|
|
|186
|-
|{{w|Walt Whitman}}
|American poet. {{w|Walt Whitman Bridge|A bridge in Philadelphia}} was named after him.
|
|
|187
|-
|{{w|John Kelly}}
|
|
|
|188
|-
|{{w|Grace Lee}}
|
|
|
|189
|-
|{{w|Nancy Grace}}
|
|
|
|190
|-
|{{w|Garnet_(Steven_Universe)|Garnet}}
|A {{w|garnet}} is a gem stone and the two names around here are {{w|William Safire}} (almost {{w|Sapphire}}) and {{w|Jack Ruby}} as in {{w|Ruby}}. But it is not just used because they are all {{w|gemstones}}. It is instead a reference to the character {{w|Garnet_(Steven_Universe)|Garnet}} in the cartoon {{w|Steven Universe}}. She is a "fusion" formed by two gems: Ruby and Sapphire, hence the legal connection in the Name Dominoes... Randall has previously made references to this universe in [[1608: Hoverboard]]. (See [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1608_1031x1095y_Steven_Universe_family_and_ice_cream_prediction.png this] and [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fa/1608_1077x1109y_Darth_Vaders_talks_about_Steven_Universe_on_the_bridge_Megan_adjust_antenna.png this] image from that comic).
|{{w|William Safire}} {{w|Jack Ruby}}
|Last-Only (as a Sapphire gem stone) Last-Only (as a Ruby gem stone) Both used to fuse together to Garnet.
|191
|-
|{{w|Prince (musician)|Prince}}
|American musician, part of the Rock and Roll hall of fame. He died two years prior to the release of this comic.
|
|
|192
|-
|{{w|Prince Fielder}}
|Professional baseball player who retired in 2016 after playing for the Milwaukee Brewers, Detroit Tigers, and Texas Rangers.
|
|
|193
|-
|{{w|Prince Harry}}
|Member of the British royal family. Fifth in line for succession to the throne.
|
|
|194
|-
|{{w|Harry Styles}}
|Singer from One Direction.
|
|
|195
|-
|{{w|John Dean}}
|
|
|
|196
|-
|{{w|Benjamin Franklin}}
|One of the founding fathers of the United States. Credited with "discovering" electricity by flying a kite in a thunderstorm.
|
|
|197
|-
|{{w|Harrold Lloyd}}
|
|
|
|198
|-
|{{w|Harrold Ford}}
|
|
|
|199
|-
|{{w|Betty White}}
|American comedian. Known as the only surviving member of the {{w|The Golden Girls}}.
|
|
|200
|-
|{{w|Meg Whitman}}
|American business executive, former CEO of eBay and Hewlett Packard, unsuccessful candidate for California governor in 2010
|
|
|201
|-
|{{w|Christine Todd Whitman}}
|Governor of New Jersey from 1994 to 2001, then served as Director of the Environmental Protection Agency under {{w|George W. Bush}} from 2001 to 2003.
|
|
|202
|-
|{{w|Megyn Kelly}}
|American TV news anchor. Worked for Fox news until 2017, then switched to NBC.
|
|
|203
|-
|{{w|Grace Kelly}}
|American actress and Princess of Monaco
|
|
|204
|-
|{{w|Grace Jones}}
|Singer and actress.
|
|
|205
|-
|{{w|Jack Nicholson}}
|Actor who has appeared in many films from ''{{w|The Shining (film)}}'' (as Jack Torrance) to ''{{w|Batman (1989 film)}}'' (as the Joker) to ''{{w|A Few Good Men}}'' (as Colonel Jessup).
|
|
|206
|-
|{{w|Jack Ruby}}
|Jack Ruby is known for shooting and killing {{w|Lee Harvey Oswald}} on national television. Oswald was the prime suspect in the {{w|assassination of John F. Kennedy}}. Ruby's involvement is the subject of many conspiracy theories.
|
|
|207
|-
|{{w|Jack Russel}}
|
|
|
|208
|-
|{{w|Harry Fielder}}
|
|
|
|209
|-
|{{w|Harry Truman}}
|33rd president of the United States. Known for authorizing the use of atomic weapons against Japan at the end of World War 2.
|
|
|210
|-
|{{w|Harry Jon Benjamin}}
|
|
|
|211
|-
|{{w|John Edward}}
|
|
|
|212
|-
|{{w|Benjamin Harrison}}
|23rd president of the United States
|
|
|213
|-
|{{w|Harrison Ford}}
|American actor. Known for playing Han Solo in the ''{{w|Star Wars}}'' films and the titular character in the ''{{w|Indiana Jones}}'' films.
|
|
|214
|-
|{{w|Henry Ford}}
|Founder of the {{w|Ford Motor Company}}. Credited with inventing the assembly line.
|
|
|215
|-
|{{w|Betty Ford}}
|Wife of Gerald Ford, 38th president of the United States.
|
|
|216
|-
|{{w|Betty Friedan}}
|
|
|
|217
|-
|{{w|Chris Christie}}
|Governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. Ran for president in the Republican primaries in 2016.
|
|
|218
|-
|{{w|Chris Pratt}}
|American actor. Known for {{w|Parks and Recreation}}
|
|
|219
|-
|{{w|Maggie Grace}}
|
|
|
|220
|-
|{{w|Grace Hopper}}
|American computer scientist. Helped develop the {{w|COBOL}} programming language.
|
|
|221
|-
|{{w|Russel Crowe}}
|Australian actor. (s/be Russell?)
|
|
|222
|-
|{{w|Russ Smith}}
|
|
|
|223
|-
|{{w|John Smith}}
|John Smith is the most common name in the United States. {{w|John Smith|See Wikipedia}} for a list of people this may refer to.
|
|
|224
|-
|{{w|Justin Long}}
|
|
|
|225
|-
|{{w|John Bel Edwards}}
|
|
|
|226
|-
|{{w|John Candy}}
|Canadian comedian and actor. Known for {{w|Spaceballs}}.
|
|
|227
|-
|{{w|John Henry}}
|American folk hero
|
|
|228
|-
|{{w|Henry James}}
|American author known for works including "The Turn of the Screw" and "The Portrait of a Lady"
|
|
|229
|-
|{{w|Bill James}}
|
|
|
|230
|-
|{{w|Chris Cooper}}
|
|
|
|231
|-
|{{w|Chris Hemsworth}}
|Actor.
|
|
|232
|-
|{{w|Chris Evans}}
|
|
|
|233
|-
|{{w|Topher Grace}}
|
|
|
|234
|-
|{{w|Van Morrison}}
|Irish singer best known for the song "Brown Eyed Girl"
|
|
|235
|-
|{{w|Sheryl Crow}}
|American singer and session musician
|
|
|236
|-
|{{w|Sheryl Sandberg}}
|
|
|
|237
|-
|{{w|Cameron Crow}}
|
|
|
|238
|-
|{{w|Long John Silver}}
|Fictional antagonist from {{w|Treasure Island}}.
|
|
|239
|-
|{{w|Olivia Newton John}}
|American actress. Known for ''Grease''
|
|
|240
|-
|{{w|Huey Long}}
|Governor of Louisiana from 1928 to 1932, and US Senator from 1932 until his assassination in 1935. Known for his "Share Our Wealth" proposal to address the hard economic conditions of the Great Depression.
|
|
|241
|-
|{{w|John Edwards}}
|American politician. Democratic candidate for presidential nomination in 2004 and 2008.
|
|
|242
|-
|{{w|Candy Crowley}}
|
|
|
|243
|-
|{{w|Alestier Crowley}}
|English occultist and author
|
|
|244
|-
|{{w|James Fenimore Cooper}}
|Author of ''{{w|The Last of the Mohicans}}''.
|
|
|245
|-
|{{w|James Cook}}
|18th century British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the Royal Navy.
|Alistair Cooke Cokie Roberts Alistair Cookie James Fenimore Cooper
|Last-Last (approximate) Last-First (approximate) Last-Last (approximate) First-First
|246
|-
|{{w|Robert Frost}}
|19th century American poet, named Poet Laureate of Vermont in 1922 by the Vermont State League of Women's Clubs, and in 1961 by the Vermont State legislature
|
|
|247
|-
|{{w|Bob Evans}}
|
|
|
|248
|-
|{{w|Evan Tayler Jones}}
|
|
|
|249
|-
|{{w|Van Jones}}
|
|
|
|250
|-
|{{w|James Cameron}}
|American director. Known for {{w|Terminator}} and {{w|Titanic (1997 film)|Titanic}}.
|
|
|251
|-
|{{w|Cam Newton}}
|Quarterback for the {{w|Carolina Panthers}}.
|
|
|252
|-
|{{w|Cameron Diaz}}
|American actress. Voiced Fiona in {{w|Shrek}}.
|
|
|253
|-
|{{w|Huey Newton}}
|Co-founder of the Black Panthers.
|
|
|254
|-
|{{w|Huey Lewis}}
|Lead singer for the band Huey Lewis and the News.
|
|
|255
|-
|{{w|John Lewis}}
|
|
|
|256
|-
|{{w|Jenny Lewis}}
|
|
|
|257
|-
|{{w|Ryan Lewis}}
|
|
|
|258
|-
|{{w|Burt Reynolds}}
|American actor. Known for a wide variety of western and/or action films.
|
|
|259
|-
|{{w|Alistair Cooke}}
|Name misspelled Alistiar Cooke in the comic.
|
|
|260
|-
|{{w|Monsterpiece_Theater#Alistair_Cookie|Alistair Cookie}}
|A parody of Alistair Cooke "played" by Cookie Monster in the Sesame Street sketch "Monsterpiece Theatre" in the 1980s, a parody of the PBS series "Masterpiece Theatre".
|James Cook Alastair Reynolds
|Last-Last (approximate) First-First (approximate)
|261
|-
|{{w|Cokie Roberts}}
|National Public Radio (NPR) political correspondent known for her recurring segment "Ask Cokie" in which she answers listener submitted questions.
|
|
|262
|-
|{{w|John Roberts}}
|Current Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court at the time of the comic's publication.
|
|
|263
|-
|{{w|Robert Johnson}}
|Delta blues guitar legend.
|
|
|264
|-
|{{w|Robert E. Lee}}
|Confederate general during the {{w|American Civil War}}.
|
|
|265
|-
|{{w|Tommy Lee}}
|Drummer for the rock band Mötley Crüe
|
|
|266
|-
|{{w|Tommy Lee Jones}}
|American actor known for 'The Fugitive'
|
|
|267
|-
|{{w|Etta James|Etta James (2)}}
|Used first time in 86
|
|
|268
|-
|{{w|John Oliver}}
|American talk show host. Known for {{w|Last Week Tonight}}.
|
|
|269
|-
|{{w|Ryan Reynolds}}
|Canadian actor. Known for several romantic comedies, and {{w|Deadpool (film)|Deadpool}}.
|
|
|270
|-
|{{w|Alastair Reynolds}}
|SF writer.
|
|
|271
|}

==Transcript==
:[This comic a large grid, 27 units wide and 35 units high, with 271 black "domino" tiles. On each tile there is a name written with white text. The grid is arranged so that each touching side corresponds with the first or last name of another person (or at least there are some kind of relation between the names on the end of connecting tiles). Some of the domino tiles are rotated 90, 180 or 270 degrees so the text is either to be read down, up-side down or up. The names on the tiles are listed here below in approximate reading order, thus staring top left and moving over the grid from left to right and down. Each swipe left to right covers approximately tiles that are within a span of one standard tile in height. To be exact it lists the names in the order they were numbered in this [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/73/1970-_Name_Dominoes_-_The_large_image_with_numbers.jpg image]. One name is used twice, Etta James.]
:Christian Campbell
:Neve Campbell
:Joe McCarthy
:Eugene McCarthy
:Gene Vincent
:Gene Kelly
:Kate Hudson
:Rock Hudson
:Gordon Brown
:James Brown
:Jon Brown
:John Howard
:Columbo
:Chris Columbus
:Christopher Columbus
:Naomi Campbell
:Joseph Campbell
:Joseph Smith
:Frank Vincent
:John Kelly
:Katherine Johnson
:The Rock
:Chris Rock
:Chris Isaac
:James Newton Howard
:John Wayne
:Howard Stern
:Howard Hunt
:Chris Hughes
:Naomi Watts
:Naomi Klein
:Kevin Kline
:Francis Bacon
:Francis Drake
:Lyndon Johnson
:Oscar the Grouch
:Oscar Isaac
:Isaac Hayes
:Isaac Newton
:Wayne Newton
:Wayne Knight
:Helen Hunt
:Helen Hughes
:James Watt (Steam)
:James Watt (Interior)
:Kevin Costner
:Kevin Bacon
:Kevin Love
:Lisa Frank
:Frank Drake
:Drake
:Oscar de la Renta
:Oscar de la Hoya
:Sean Hayes
:Wallace Shawn
:Wayne Howard
:Wayne Brady
:James Brady
:Tom Brady
:Helen Thomas
:Tom Hanks
:Hank Aaron
:Aaron Carter
:Stephen James
:Will Smith
:Kevin Smith
:Kein James
:Garfield
:James Garfield
:Warren Buffett
:Jimmy Buffett
:Warren Beatty
:Elizabeth Warren
:Earl Warren
:Eliabeth Kolbert
:Stephen Colbert
:George Wallace
:Charles Wallace
:James Monroe
:Marilyn Monroe
:Hank Williams
:William C. Williams
:Steve Harvey
:Domino Harvey
:Harvey Milk
:James Saint James
:Etta James
:Jim Jones
:James Earl Jones
:Charlie Parker
:Ray Parker Jr.
:Ray Charles
:Charles Manson
:Marilyn Manson
:Robin Williams
:Billy D. Williams
:Will Wright
:Fats Domino
:Bill Clinton
:Jimmy John
:Tom Jones
:Tommy John
:Quincy Jones
:James Earl Ray
:Man Ray
:Rachel Ray
:Ray Allen
:Tim Allen
:Tim Cook
:Tim Howard
:Robin Wright
:Wilbur Wright
:Fatty Arbuckle
:Fat Joe
:George Clinton
:John Kerry
:Kerry Washington
:John Irving
:John Quincy Adams
:John Adams
:Amy Adams
:Aimee Mann
:Superman
:Batman
:Ayn Rand
:Lily Allen
:Paul Allen
:Ron Howard
:Howard Hughes
:Joe Kennedy
:George Bush
:George Wasington
:Wasington Irving
:Martha Wasington
:Ma Rainey
:Jack Ma
:Super Grover
:Jack Black
:Rand Paul
:Paul Ryan
:Paul Simon
:Ron Paul
:John Hughes
:Langston Hughes
:John F. Kennedy
:Little Richard
:Rich Little
:Martha Stewart
:Yo Yo Ma
:Ma Bell
:Grover Cleveland Alexander
:Grover Cleveland
:Jack White
:Jack Ryan
:Debby Ryan
:Carly Simon
:Carly Hughes
:Charles Evans Hughes
:John Williams
:Little John
:Stuart Little
:Potter Stewart
:Kristen Stewart
:Kristen Bell
:Kristen Hooks
:Alexander Graham Bell
:Franklin Graham
:Lloyd Alexander
:Meg White
:Meg ryan
:Debbie Reynolds
:John Reynolds
:Carly Fiorina
:Grace Lee Boggs
:Wade Boggs
:William Safire
:Prince William
:Little Prince
:Harry Potter
:James Potter
:James Hook
:James Dean
:Aretha Franklin
:Frank Lloyd Wright
:Barry White
:Walter White
:Walt Whitman
:John Kelly
:Grace Lee
:Nancy Grace
:Garnet
:Prince
:Prince Fielder
:Prince Harry
:Harry Styles
:John Dean
:Benjamin Franklin
:Harrold Lloyd
:Harrold Ford
:Betty White
:Meg Whitman
:Christine Todd Whitman
:Megyn Kelly
:Grace Kelly
:Grace Jones
:Jack Nicholson
:Jack Ruby
:Jack Russel
:Harry Fielder
:Harry Trueman
:Harry Jon Benjamin
:John Edward
:Benjamin Harrison
:Harrison Ford
:Henry Ford
:Betty Ford
:Betty Friedan
:Chris Christie
:Chris Pratt
:Maggie Grace
:Grace Hopper
:Russel Crowe
:Russ Smith
:John Smith
:Justin Long
:John Bel Edwards
:John Candy
:John Henry
:Henry James
:Bill James
:Chirs Cooper
:Chirs Hemsworth
:Chirs Evans
:Topher Grace
:Van Morrison
:Sheryl Crow
:Sheryl Sandberg
:Cameron Crow
:Long John Silver
:Olivia Newton John
:Huey long
:John Edwards
:Candy Crowley
:Alestier Crowley
:James Fenimore Cooper
:James Cook
:Robert Frost
:Bob Evans
:Evan Tayler Jones
:Van Jones
:James Cameron
:Cam Newton
:Cameron Diaz
:Huey Newton
:Huey Lewis
:John Lewis
:Jenny Lewis
:Ryan Lewis
:Burt Reynolds
:Alistiar Cooke
:Alistair Cookie
:Cokie Roberts
:John Roberts
:Robert Johnson
:Robert E. Lee
:Tommy Lee
:Tommy Lee Jones
:Etta James
:John Oliver
:Ryan Reynolds
:Alastair Reynolds

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Large drawings]]

788: The Carriage

2018-08-11T01:52:46Z

162.158.165.124: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 788
| date = September 3, 2010
| title = The Carriage
| image = the carriage.png
| titletext = I learned from Achewood that since this poem is in ballad meter, it can be sung to the tune of Gilligan's Island. Since then, try as I might, I haven't ONCE been able to read it normally.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Emily Dickinson}} is a famous American poet, who wrote a poem called "[http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/cs6/stop.html Death]", about the personification of Death kindly stopping for her to pick her up.

''{{w|Grand Theft Auto (series)|Grand Theft Auto}}'' is a well known video game series where players commonly steal cars by grabbing the driver and throwing them out of the vehicle. In the lower left corner of the second panel, there is a picture of the Y-button used to enter (and steal) vehicles in the Xbox versions of the game.

The proposed Emily Dickinson edition of ''Grand Theft Auto'' mashes up these two concepts. When Death stops to pick up the protagonist ([[Hairbun]], possibly representing Dickinson herself), she violently carriage-jacks him and takes over his carriage to use for her own purposes.

The title text refers to [http://achewood.com/index.php?date=08032010 this] strip from the webcomic ''{{w|Achewood}}'' where it is pointed out that poems written in {{w|ballad metre}} can be sung to the same tune as the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfR7qxtgCgY theme song] of ''{{w|Gilligan's Island}}'', a 1960s sitcom. Upon learning this it can (as it seemingly has for Randall) become difficult to read Dickinson's poem without singing it.

==Transcript==
:[Death with his scythe is driving a horse-drawn carriage. The text is written in two frames above and below the carriage:]
:Because I could not stop for death
:He kindly stopped for me

:[Hairbun grabs Death by the arm and pulls him off the carriage. There is a circle with the letter Y in the lower left corner. The text above the carriage is in a frame.]
:The carriage held but just oursel-
:Death: Hey!
:Hands holding Death: ''Grab''
:Circle: Y

:[Hairbun takes off in the carriage with the scythe, leaving Death behind on the ground in the dust from the carriage taking off.]
:Hairbun: Hyah!

:[Hairbun stands with her arms crossed, and Death's scythe next to her. The first text above her is printed as the official logo and the text below is in a type of square brackets.]
:Grand Theft Auto
:Emily Dickinson Edition"

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Video games]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]

Talk:2022: Sports Champions

2018-07-26T17:46:54Z

162.158.165.124:

Since Kate Dopingscandal has a bike, it seems to me she's actually likely a direct reference to Lance Armstrong. [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 05:46, 20 July 2018 (UTC)
:Yeah, that's why I included him as an example. Feel free to clarify if you want, of course.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.68|162.158.155.68]] 06:09, 20 July 2018 (UTC)
::Why is a bike directly a direct reference to Lance Armstrong? and why are additionally only "many russians" listed? It is clearly not a phenomena only seen with mr. Armstrong, and Russians, but with cylcing sports in general. The biggest Cycling event, the {{w|Tour_de_France}} is hit by a doping scandal every year. Also other events have many {{w|List_of_doping_cases_in_cycling|cases}}. Lately actually there have even be cases of [http://www.cyclist.co.uk/news/542/motor-doping-is-happening-and-weve-tested-it Motor Doping]. So I think Lance Armstrong can stay as maybe the most famous example, but we should say that it is many others and not Lance Armstrong and Russians. [[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 08:22, 21 July 2018 (UTC)
:::Because he's easily the most famous example. I realize there are plenty of others - the France native below portrays it as downright epidemic in the sport - but Lance was so highly unbelievably visible. My impression is that in North America (which is where both Randall and I live), cycling as a professional sport enjoys notably less popularity than most other sports, and less than it might elsewhere in the world. Yet virtually EVERYBODY has heard of Lance (I follow no sports whatsoever, and I can even discuss him here). Lance attained nearly a hero status, he beat cancer... He started and/or inspired The LiveStrong movement, its support bracelets spread far and wide, inspiring imitators. At which point the scandal hit. Now combine this heightened visibility with Randall's history of comics portraying him - as Cueball - as knowing nothing about sports. Lance is the only cycling doping scandal _I_ can name, or even cyclist I can name at all, chances are it's the same for Randall. This comic is certainly referencing Lance. I only commented because the description was only listing him as an example. (I said nothing about Russians, I don't know of any Russian doping scandal) [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 13:46, 22 July 2018 (UTC)
:::Having re-checked the description, I can answer the Russian portion: It says "many Russians" because those words link to a Wikipedia article about Russia in general, not one particular incident. The mere existence of the article tells me that enough Russians have been hit by doping scandals that they rate their own Wikipedia article. It's a great find for this ExplainXKCD article, no wonder somebody made sure to include it. [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 13:55, 22 July 2018 (UTC)
::::I put both those in. In fact, I wrote almost the entire article. I'm English, but I try to "think American" when editing. I immediately thought of Armstrong,and totally agree with your reasoning; if you do searches for "doping scandal" you immediately see him, but also, the Russian thing. Centered on the 2012 Olympics, and state-sponsored doping, their subsequent exclusion from the 2016 Olympics is amongst the biggest ever sporting scandals of all time, worldwide. Perhaps more so outside America, but it's certainly of epic proportions.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.107.138|141.101.107.138]] 16:54, 22 July 2018 (UTC)
::I'm 46 and live in France. As far as I can remember (1980 ?) cycling has always been THE sport associated with doping. I can remember some famous cases in other sports (Ben Johnson in the 1988 olympics) but for cycling it was said to be quasi systematic. The Armstong case was a worldwide scandal, but Tour de France had a much severe problem in 1998 where entire teams were involved and excluded from the race. Five years later, after several trials and new analysis of the 1998 samples with more evolved techniques it was revealed that at least the 5 first finishers (and many more) were doped. If you consult the Wikipedia article “doping in sport”, you will note that cycling is by far the largest section, and almost 100 years old in Tour de France. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.34|108.162.229.34]] 12:57, 22 July 2018 (UTC)
:::Ah, but in cases like this, where different cultures can have an effect, I always bring it back to this: Where does Randall live? In America. While people in France (and cycling fans) might be well aware of many, many, MANY cycling doping scandals, I'd say the average American is not. Plus, Randall has been quite vocal about not knowing sports. Chances are, Lance Armstrong is the only cyclist he can even name at all, never mind doping scandals. And now I cause myself to wonder, did Randall think of Armstrong because his last name is also one made of words, that Lance Armstrong would be on this list himself if he had excelled at arm wrestling? :) [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 13:46, 22 July 2018 (UTC)

He should have listed, in the sport of eXtreme Software Engineering, the dominance of Little Bobby Tables in the late 2020's. ---- {{unsigned ip|172.68.141.136}}
:Damn, what a missed opportunity. :) [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 13:46, 22 July 2018 (UTC)

Would Jebediah be a reference to Kerbal Space Program? Things tend to go disaterously in it. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.210.160|108.162.210.160]] 12:54, 20 July 2018 (UTC)

It's worth noting that the all-star right fielder for the Boston Red Sox, who are currently in first place in the MLB, is named Markus Lynn "Mookie" Betts, with the initials "MLB." Aside from the fact that he's already won several divisional titles with his team, there's a good chance he'll soon be on a world series winning team as well, perhaps to become the next high-profile example. (Full disclosure: I'm a huge Red Sox fan) [[Special:Contributions/172.68.54.22|172.68.54.22]] 13:47, 20 July 2018 (UTC)

Art Ball (1890’s)
Full name Arthur Ball
Born April , 1872, Madison, Indiana
Died December 26, 1915, Chicago, Illinois
Buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery, Chicago, Illinois
First MLB Game: August 1, 1894; Final MLB Game: October 15, 1898
Bat: Unknown Throw: Right Weight: 168 {{unsigned ip|172.68.54.76}}

What, no Cecil Fielder? --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.63.46|162.158.63.46]] 19:32, 20 July 2018 (UTC)

What, no [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Moneymaker Chris Moneymaker? (Poker, 2000's)] [[User:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For]] ([[User talk:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|talk]]) 01:10, 22 July 2018 (UTC)

;Moved from the main talk page: --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:30, 21 July 2018 (UTC)
Misspelling in today's comic

Your article says: "Randall has chosen to spell his name as "Disasterous", rather than the more conventional "Disastrous"." Presumably he hasn't "chosen" to do this but merely made a spelling error. In that case, your comment is misleading. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.21|162.158.158.21]] 23:25, 20 July 2018 (UTC)

Brandon Sponsorship may also be read as Brand On Sponsorship, having two terms related.
:I know what you mean, and thought about it at the time, but the connection isn't completely obvious and I didn't want to bring in too much assumption on my part. I tried to reference it without making a judgement, by mentioning the word in the text, but not putting it in bold or directly saying that there was a connection. I think that's OK? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.214|141.101.98.214]] 16:27, 22 July 2018 (UTC)
(Previous person didn't sign) About the misspelling, I feel like that's a perfectly acceptable version of the word. It's how I'd instinctually spell it, he just added "ous" to the word "disaster". That's where the word comes from! It's actually ridiculous that this ISN'T the correct spelling! I blame the English language on this one. I'd guess that centuries ago that WAS the correct spelling, and the E just got dropped at some point, to streamline the pronunciation of the word. I just Googled it, and MANY articles showed up defining it as a common misspelling of the word, that's how common this spelling is. [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 14:11, 22 July 2018 (UTC)

:There is no right or wrong spelling for a surname. You can be Mr. Tailor or Mr.Taylor, or a hundred other versions. That's why I deliberately wrote that Randall ''chose'' that spelling, and I think it's obvious from the way I phrased it that it's not the normal spelling of the word. I don't think we should pass judgement about his decision, even though there's a very high chance he just made a typo. I also concur with the opinion of NiceGuy1, so I have changed it back to the way it was. Best, [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.214|141.101.98.214]] 16:27, 22 July 2018 (UTC)
::Given that the USA has a dominantly prescriptivist spelling culture for non-names (i.e. in academics and business correctness is defined by books before common usage, coompare to descriptivist which would be the other way around), the phrasing here misleads the leader into believing that both spellings are currently considered correct, as is actually true for other words. There are a lot of misleading statements in this wiki; maybe we should be up-front about that until somebody has the energy to work through everything and stay on top of it all. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.63.118|162.158.63.118]] 14:45, 25 July 2018 (UTC)
:::There I fixed it. [[User:Faultwire|I'm me(citation needed)]] ([[User talk:Faultwire|talk]]) 23:28, 25 July 2018 (UTC)

From the transcript: "[Cueball with a golf club] Gary Player" and "[Cueball with a basketball] Lonzo Ball". I'm not familiar with all the conventions around here, but would it be NOT Cueball when it is very definitely someone else? Sure, the made-up names later on could be Cueball standing in for them, but for those, wouldn't it actually be the real person, just looking Cueball-ish due to the art style? (And as an aside, a slight pity that there wasn't a pool player named something like Randall Cueball in the comic... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.130|162.158.75.130]] 03:31, 23 July 2018 (UTC)

== Podium/Lectern ==

When I first wrote this explanation, without thinking much, I said Jeb was standing at a {{w|podium}}. Someone corrected it to "lectern", which is absolutely correct of them - see that Wikipedia article. But the interesting thing is, there is an xkcd cartoon about this very subject!

[[1661: Podium]]

Should this somehow be mentioned in the explanation? I thought probably not, because Randall made no mention of it; it was purely my own error, and just an interesting connection to today's comic. Right? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.107.138|141.101.107.138]] 16:36, 22 July 2018 (UTC)

== Margaret Court ==
She wasn't the best choice. Recently in Australia someone let her near a microphone & it turns out she's quite homophobic.

== Jebediah's Sport ==

It appears that, based on the person's name, their sport could be debating, public speaking, or giving live postgame press conferences.

[[User:Milesman34|Milesman34]] ([[User talk:Milesman34|talk]]) 03:48, 23 July 2018 (UTC)milesman34

== Why Baseball is a Problem ==

Did you ever notice that players named "White" are almost always black, and players named "Black" are usually white? Why is that? The last White major leaguer who was actually white was Mike White, who played for Houston in the early sixties. Since then we've had Bill White, Roy White, Frank White, and Jerry White, all of whom were black; Mike White probably would have been black except that his father played in the majors in the thirties and they didn't allow you to be black back then. The Royals also had a Black on their roster, Bud, who of course is white; in fact, the Royals had to set some sort of record by having four colored people on their team, White, Black, Blue, and Brown. Scott Brown is not any browner than anyone else, Vida is definitely not blue, nor for that matter is Darryl Motley. I suppose that is the nature of names, as with Peacekeeping Missiles and Security Police, to disguise the truth more often than they reveal it. Horace Speed stole only four bases in his career. Vic Power was a singles hitter, Bill Goodenough was not good enough, and Joe Blong did not belong for long.

-- Bill James, 1983

Me, I'm disappointed that Jim Gentile wasn't Jewish. [[User:WHPratt|WHPratt]] ([[User talk:WHPratt|talk]]) 12:16, 24 July 2018 (UTC)

== Chosen spelling - Citation needed ==

Re. Randall has chosen to spell his name as "Disasterous", rather than the more conventional "Disastrous".

Putting <nowiki>{{citation needed}}</nowiki> on that is a bit silly. You can see he chose to spell it that way from the cartoon. It's self-evident. What's the issue, what needs a citation? As to why he decided to spell it that way, nobody but Randall knows, and we're unlikely to ever find out. It's probably a typo, but isn't that just an assumption? He chose to type the word that way - whether that's because he doesn't know how to spell it correctly, or because he likes it that way. Nobody but Randall knows.

A couple of people think it should say he misspelled it, but see the discussions; others agree with me that there is not correct spelling of surnames (e.g. Tailor/Taylor). It's a name, not the word.

IMHO, the cite-needed is just clutter and confusing. I think the wording was good, without a messy tag. It's not really something I want to argue pointlessly and endlessly about, so I won't remove it myself right now; I'll see what other people say. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.107.138|141.101.107.138]] 14:52, 26 July 2018 (UTC)

why am i the first one to see the kerbal space program reference? where are you my fellow kerbals?