explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

User talk:SlashMe

2021-01-15T22:58:17Z

162.158.165.54: /* Giới thiệu website Bongda360.org */ new section

Please [{{SERVER}}{{SCRIPTPATH}}/index.php?title=User_talk:SlashMe&action=edit&section=new leave a message]...

== Hey ==

Hey SlashMe,

Just wanted to say; wasn't trying to ignore you or anything. I created the new template well before I figured out where to actually look for discussions on the thing. I only noticed the discussions after I'd already created the thing and posted for discussion. Cheers. [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 19:12, 3 August 2012 (EDT)

: No problem. I'm about to reply on Jeff's talk page. --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 19:13, 3 August 2012 (EDT)

::Do you have any form of instant messenger? It would be easier to talk the changes through instantly than through piles of comments [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 19:25, 3 August 2012 (EDT)

Yes, but not <del>today</del><ins>tonight</ins>. 1:27 AM in Germany. Good night... --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 19:27, 3 August 2012 (EDT)

:::Cheers. Have a good night. I guess I'll reply on the main page, that you can pick up in the morning. I'll be unavailable much of tomorrow. [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 19:29, 3 August 2012 (EDT)

==Talkback==
New message for you on my talk page. --''[[User:Philosopher|Philosopher]]'' [[User talk:Philosopher|Let us reason together.]] 20:43, 3 August 2012 (EDT)

== Please watch [[Explain XKCD:Community portal/Administrators' noticeboard]] ==

I'd like to ask that the admins consider adding [[Explain XKCD:Community portal/Administrators' noticeboard]] to their [[wikipedia:Help:Watching pages|watchlists]]. On a similar note, I've just started a discussion there about spammers. -''[[User:Philosopher|Philosopher]]'' [[User talk:Philosopher|Let us reason together.]] 02:02, 4 August 2012 (EDT)

== Comic template ==

Hey,

Back after a weekend, and I'm getting kind of lost and confused with where discussions are going on, as a lot of conversations appear to have moved. Just want to check in on where we are with the comic template discussion. [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 13:59, 7 August 2012 (UTC)

:Well, my discussion was moved to [[explain xkcd:Community portal/Proposals#Automatic Import]], but the main discussion is at [[explain xkcd:Community portal/Proposals#Header template]]. I haven't received much feedback and since more and more comics are created manually using {{tl|comic}}, I don't know if it still makes sense to start an import. I don't think I can reuse existing pages, so the explanations would have to be moved to the new pages. --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 16:50, 7 August 2012 (UTC)

==User:SlashMe/Testpage==
We seem to have settled on template:comic for all comic pages. May we have permission to remove User:SlashMe/Testpage and all associated templates and categories? There's quite a few legacy templates that are only used in User:SlashMe/Testpage, and it'd be nice if we could clear them out. '''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 01:50, 5 March 2013 (UTC)

:Yes, feel free to do so --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 09:25, 5 March 2013 (UTC)

==Bot for time==
It's bad when you are doing wrong uploads. I'm using several sources to get this files, but when I'm downloading the files from here my script will not do so unless I delete them manually at my local folder. I can help because I think we do need a more reliable bot here. And my machine is online at 24/7. I'm trying to help you, but if this does not work I will start a bot by myself. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:48, 12 June 2013 (UTC)

: The problem is not really the bot, but the wiki. Sometimes, when the server is overloaded, it won't respond to api requests. I'm using python with mwclient, and I haven't found a way to specify a timeout yet. --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 10:14, 13 June 2013 (UTC)

== Regex Golf Trivia ==

Do you have a source for the trivia you added to the regex golf explanation? I can't find his mention of it. Also, What If 78 was posted Tuesday (today), which is the day after the comic was published, it is currently impossible for you to know which What If will be published next week (unless you know Randall ;p). [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 19:41, 7 January 2014 (UTC)

: That was yesterday? Boy, I'm not back to my regular week schedule yet. My bad.
: For the mention, check the tooltip on the second reference, last link. --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 19:56, 7 January 2014 (UTC)

:: Ah! I haven't read this week's What If yet. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 20:48, 7 January 2014 (UTC)

== German translation / Deutsche Übersetzung ==

First I have to say thanks for fixing typos done be me. I'm still working on a German page, and my local Wiki is looking better and better. Right now I do not understand the Wiki-Template; in German it should link to a German Wiki page. When this issue is solved I will ask admins here for a first shot.

Erst einmal muss ich mich für die Korrektur meiner Tippfehler bedanken. Ich arbeite nach wie vor an einer deutschen Seite, mein eigenes Wiki wird besser und besser. Probleme habe ich mit den Templates, ein <nowiki>{{wp}}</nowiki>-Tag sollte auf die deutsche Wiki verlinken. Wenn das Problem gelöst ist werde ich die Admins hier für einen ersten Versuch fragen.

Written original in English and translated back to German. You see it's not easy, but I'm hoping I can count on you on this future project. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:36, 16 March 2014 (UTC)

: Of course I'll do everything my timetable allows.
: Concerning the Wikipedia links: I'm not absolutely sure, but I think an interwiki link with the prefix "Wikipedia:" has been setup (might be that this is even default in the interwiki plugin). So basically, if you type "[[Wikipedia:Something]]" into the searchbox here (works the same way as links), you will be redirected to the page "Something" on Wikipedia. This even works for different languages: "[[Wikipedia:de:xkcd]]" will redirect to the article about xkcd on the German Wikipedia (this is probably due to the fact that interwiki links in Wikipedia work with "de:" prefixes). Hope it helps. --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 21:11, 16 March 2014 (UTC)

: Addendum: see also [[Wikipedia:MW:Manual:Interwiki]] (yes, this is a double redirect). --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 21:15, 16 March 2014 (UTC)

::There's a setting that we can make in localsettings.php that lets us define other wikis in a family, making it possible to add a special kind of link to each explanation page that'll add a link to its corresponding page on each of the translation wikis. I'll do a writeup on it later, the end of this quarter's finals are in sight. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 00:13, 17 March 2014 (UTC)

:::Thanks SlashMe for your investigations but editing templates isn't that easy at all. But I got some progress (not much time today for me on this):
:::*The link is <nowiki>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/de:Programmiersprachen</nowiki>
:::*Result: <nowiki>https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Programmiersprachen</nowiki>
:::This seems to be a first resolution. But maybe there is a better way by help from David.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:18, 17 March 2014 (UTC)
::::Nah, that's what I was talking about. I need to define what the de: namespace means to mediawiki so that it knows to insert language links when it sees it, but that shouldn't be too hard. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 21:34, 17 March 2014 (UTC)
:::::Ok, no problem. Tell me some more about this, I can test it on my local English Wiki page. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:47, 17 March 2014 (UTC)

== Clarification ==

My edit to [[1713: 50 ccs]] wasn't adding a period after "ml", it was capitalizing the L (look more closely at the diff). I think that's technically more correct, although a little research seems to indicate that it's used both ways, so I'm not going to revert yours. [[User:SuperSupermario24|Just some random derp]] 02:01, 18 October 2016 (UTC)
: I can see that, and now I'm wondering what I was thinking when I wrote that.... --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 19:57, 18 October 2016 (UTC)

== reCaptcha ==

Since email notification is still broken I'm hoping you will see this soon. Please check the captcha issue (also at my talk page) and let's talk about one or two new admins here. There will be more issues soon. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 14:30, 11 April 2018 (UTC)

== Explain xkcd: It's 'cause you're dumb. ==

Sorry to bother you, but I think that this issue needs to be resolved. In every explain xkcd page, this appears at the top, and it seems unnecessarily mean, and also violates the first rule (don't be a jerk). This has already been mentioned in the discussion page of the main page, and some people (like me) think it should be removed or changed. Could you do that? Or does it needs to be discussed a bit more? Thanks. [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 13:52, 18 April 2018 (UTC)

: Technically, I can do that. But I'd rather not until there is a consensus that it should be changed and what it should say instead. --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 16:15, 18 April 2018 (UTC)

== Banning Bots ==

Hi SlashMe,

good thing to ban all the spamming bots, but apperantly if you look at their contributions they all just did one entry (or few directly following each other, but not a second after some time). Therefore I am not sure if banning really helps the issue. Protecting the pages they target as you did (for some reason it seems to be one talk page for a few days, then moving to another one) I guess is the better option.
Question: I assume the target of these bots is not for people to follow their spammed links, but to generate inbound links for SEO (search engine optimization). Is the wiki structure, which tracks and saves all edits a preferred target for them? If so: Is it possible to delete their edits from the history, instead of just undoing them, to disencourage that kind of behaviour? --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 07:54, 21 May 2019 (UTC)

:I've seen this issue with other wikis as well. Unfortunately, there's little that can be done except for implementing more disruptive captchas. I can't do that here; I have admin access to the wiki, but not the underlying server (which would be required to install plugins or change settings). As for deleting revisions: I think it is generally possible, as I've seen it a few times in Wikipedia, but only to hide edits with legal issues. I believe they use another plugin for that. Fortunately, that's not required against SEO bots: older revisions are marked as <code>noindex,nofollow</code> which makes crawlers ignore both the page contents as well as the outbound links. --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 10:11, 21 May 2019 (UTC)

::Thanks for the reply. Very interesting for me to learn a bit about the wiki structure here :) Spam has just emerged on the talk page of 2151. It may follow recent spamming trends, that this talk page will be a main target, just as in the past it has been 2141 and 2139, 2133. So please take a semiprotection into account. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 07:42, 22 May 2019 (UTC)

== Homeopathic Wiki ==

Has the Explain xkcd Wiki achieved the ability to self regulate? Or have all but one of its caretakers gone into hibernation, even before the global Covid-19 crisis. I mean, it's a wonderful indication of the site's maturity, but I've been trying to find someone to ask about a few things.

=== Really really difficult to get to the What If? page in the Wiki ===
The name of the page is '''what if?''' but if you make an internal link the usual way, as here: [[what if?|<nowiki>[[what if?]]</nowiki>]], you get a mostly blank page with the message ''No input file specified''. It would appear that page names with a question mark break something. The failed form is what is used on the disambiguation page [[What If|<nowiki>[[What If]]</nowiki>]], and so following the page link from there fails. What does work is this internal link: [[whatif|<nowiki>[[whatif]]</nowiki>]], but when you get there and click what links here, that fails as described above. If you really really want to get to the what links here page for the what if? page, you have to use an external link, as [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:WhatLinksHere?target=what_if%3F&namespace%3D|<nowiki>[https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:WhatLinksHere?target=what_if%3F&namespace%3D]</nowiki>]. But but but. On all those pages that it says link to the what if? page, the links are broken as described above.

My opinion is that the way to fix at this problem is to rename the what if? page to have no question mark, and then to visit all the pages in the old linked to list and update their links to the new page name. Ugh.

:I have looked a little bit into it and it seems to be a configuration issue with the PHP installation. However, I don't have a definite solution for that and even if I had, I don't have access to the server and wouldn't be able to change it. I think [[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] has. Try reaching out to him. --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 22:58, 10 July 2020 (UTC)

=== Randall's NYT Columns ===
This is what I really wanted to ask someone about. In June I posted a proposal on the community portal ([[explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Proposals#New_page_for_Randall.27s_regular_column_in_the_New_York_Times |New page for Randall's regular column in the NY Times]]) and I was sort of hoping to get feedback. That post does include a proposed script for the page.

I'm not sure where the page would go or be linked from, but it would be similar to our page about [[whatif|what if?]]. Perhaps the see also sections of the [[Randall Munroe]] page and the [[xkcd]] page.

=== Where have all the administrators gone ===
On the page [https://explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:ListUsers?username=&group=bureaucrat User list for group Bureaucrats] there are just two names, but they have had no activity in 2020:
: [[Special:Contributions/Jeff|Jeff]], last contribution was April 2019
: [[Special:Contributions/Lcarsos|Lcarsos]], last contribution was in May 2015

On the page [https://explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:ListUsers?username=&group=sysop User list for group Administrators] there are ten names, but only one with activity in 2020:
: [[Special:Contributions/Davidy22|Davidy22]], November 2017
: [[Special:Contributions/Dgbrt|Dgbrt]], March 2019
: [[Special:Contributions/IronyChef|IronyChef]], November 2016
: [[Special:Contributions/Jeff|Jeff]], April 2019
: [[Special:Contributions/Lcarsos|Lcarsos]], May 2015
: [[Special:Contributions/Markhurd|Markhurd]], July 2016
: [[Special:Contributions/Mynotoar|Mynotoar]], April 2016
: [[Special:Contributions/Philosopher|Philosopher]], April 2016
: [[Special:Contributions/Slashme|Slashme]], '''July 2020 Hooray!'''
: [[Special:Contributions/Waldir|Waldir]], August 2018

So I'm posting this on the Slashme user talk page and hoping for a response.

[[User:JohnB|JohnB]] ([[User talk:JohnB|talk]]) 22:45, 10 July 2020 (UTC)

: I don't know the other administrators either. Jeff owns the server and has full access; I think he gave Dgbrt server access, too, who fixed a few issues with the MediaWiki installation in the past. No idea about the others. --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 22:58, 10 July 2020 (UTC)

== Giới thiệu website Bongda360.org ==

Bongda360.org là trang tin tức, xếp hạng và soi kèo bóng đá uy tín tại Việt Nam. Bóng đá là môn thể thao vua với số lượng fan đến hàng trăm triệu người trên toàn thế giới. Và một trong những điều thú vị về môn thể thao này chính là rất khó để đoán trước được kết quả trận đấu. Chính vì vậy, các fan hâm mộ luôn tìm cách để phân tích cầu thủ của các đội bóng, từng chiến thuật và thế mạnh mà họ sử dụng để dự đoán diễn biến. Và khi dự đoán của bản thân chính xác, cảm xúc và niềm hưng phấn khi tận hưởng môn thể thao này lại càng nhân rộng hơn nữa.
Website: https://bongda360.org/
Email: bongda360.org@gmail.com
Địa chỉ: 54 Đường số 4, khu dân cư Him Lam, Tân Hưng, Quận 7, Tp.Hồ Chí Minh
1. Trang tin tức về bóng đá
Để có được những phán đoán chính xác, bạn cần có nguồn thông tin đáng tin cậy. Và bongda360 là một trang web có thể đáp ứng đầy đủ những yêu cầu đó. Các tin tức luôn được cập nhật một cách liên tục, giúp người đọc nắm bắt tức thời các sự kiện về bóng đá trên thế giới. Những phân tích và nhận định chuyên sâu được đưa ra từ những chuyên gia đã dự đoán chính xác kết quả của nhiều giải bóng. Bóng đá 360 sẽ là một trang web tuyệt vời dành cho những ai yêu thích và tìm hiểu về bóng đá.
2. Xếp hạng bóng đá
Link chuyên mục: https://bongda360.org/tin-tuc/xep-hang-bong-da
Xếp hạng bóng đá là chuyên mục liên tục cập nhật về bảng xếp hạng các đội bóng. Đây là một chuyên mục vô cùng quan trọng mà bạn không thể bỏ qua nếu là một fan chân chính. Bảng xếp hạng này sẽ góp phần giúp bạn nắm bắt sức mạnh và phong độ của các đội trong từng giải đấu, từ đó đưa ra những nhận định chính xác hơn về kết quả. Bên cạnh đó, nếu bạn cổ vũ cho bất kỳ đội bóng nào thì việc theo dõi thành tích của đội đó trên từng giải đấu quả là một điều thú vị.
3. Soi kèo bóng đá
Link chuyên mục: https://bongda360.org/tin-tuc/soi-keo
Soi kèo là chuyên mục mang đến cho bạn những thông tin hữu ích về kèo bóng đá. Với tỷ lệ ghi bàn và khả năng thắng khác nhau của từng đội thì tỷ lệ kèo giữa các trận đấu cũng thay đổi theo. Đây là con số được tính toán và phân tích một cách cẩn thận qua lịch sử từ các trận trước. Chính vì vậy, chúng có độ tin tưởng nhất định về dự đoán kết quả trận tiếp theo. Các chuyên gia cũng nhiều lần phụ thuộc vào con số này để dự đoán kết quả trận đấu. Và bạn cũng có thể sử dụng chúng để đưa ra những phán đoán cho riêng mình.
Tóm lại, Bóng Đá 360 là một trang vô cùng hữu ích giúp bạn có được những kiến thức và tin tức nhanh chóng về bóng đá. Hãy ghé thăm website để có được nhiều thông tin hơn.
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.165.54|162.158.165.54]]

Talk:2411: 1/10,000th Scale World

2021-01-15T22:17:21Z

162.158.165.54: volume and mass scale factor is te cube of the linear scale factor

This sounds like a cool theme for a game jam. [[User:Bwisey|Bwisey]] ([[User talk:Bwisey|talk]]) 07:30, 14 January 2021 (UTC)

The comment about airplanes being close to the speed of a bullet in the explanation wouldn't be relevant due to the scale, so they wouldn't be fast compared to the scale of the people here, and with some rough calculations, I think it would take multiple seconds to pass through the thickness of a human body, so if the people were normal properties and the plane moving at its speed being proportional to its scale (thus making its speed seem normal from the perspective of someone shrunk down and on the plane looking at the rate at which it travels compared to its own length or looking at the model surroundings rather than the giant person), it shouldn't cause significant injury. Granted, as such speeds it wouldn't be able to fly, but the same sort of concerns apply to a lot else here, like the thundercloud and the rate the atmosphere gets thinner at altitude.--[[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.207|162.158.74.207]] 07:54, 14 January 2021 (UTC)

"Also, airplane speed very similar to the speed at which a bullet is fired" - That is true for real world aircraft; it is not at all given for the 1/10000th scale world. (It depends on if time is scaled or just spatial dimensions) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.134.84|162.158.134.84]] 09:59, 14 January 2021 (UTC)

The rant about private vs public research seems a tad coat-racky. [[User:Yngvadottir|Yngvadottir]] ([[User talk:Yngvadottir|talk]]) 12:08, 14 January 2021 (UTC)
: I agree, so I removed it. There's no indication that Randall meant anything more by it than the usually fun activity of playing with balloons would be harmful if done to weather balloons. [[User:Bischoff|Bischoff]] ([[User talk:Bischoff|talk]]) 13:45, 14 January 2021 (UTC)

Do disasters in the model have consequences in the real Earth, like in the first row of xkcd #1515? Not being allowed to create megatsunamis or trigger the Yellowstone Supervolcano would support this, but being allowed to step on cities that do not have especially pointy towers would oppose it.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.186.220|162.158.186.220]] 14:07, 14 January 2021 (UTC)

This, ladies, gents, and variations thereupon, is the ''xkcd'' I know and love. [[User:Lightcaller|Lightcaller]] ([[User talk:Lightcaller|talk]]) 14:34, 14 January 2021 (UTC)

I would really like this on a poster. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.57.33|172.68.57.33]] 16:12, 14 January 2021 (UTC)
:That'd be good. In large format. (Though, if it's a 10,000:1 scale printing I see a couple of problems.) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.19|141.101.99.19]] 21:16, 14 January 2021 (UTC)

Wouldn't an airplane be to the people about twice the speed of a garden snail? [[User:Sarah the Pie(yes, the food)|Sarah the Pie(yes, the food)]] ([[User talk:Sarah the Pie(yes, the food)|talk]])

: A model Airbus A380 would be about 7.3 mmm long but the scale factor for its volume and mass (assuming it has the same overall density as a full size one) would be 1:1,000,000,000,000 so its mass would be about half a milligramme! I'm not sure where 'half a kilogram' came from.

: I thought comparisons of scale were an oft-revisited theme for xkcd, so was disappointed not to find a category for them; though I tried to list some of them, I didn't find nearly as many of them as I thought there ought to be. Only just noticed the reference in discussion here to 1515, which kind of supports my suspicion that there are lots I didn't find. --[[User:Pi one|Pi one]] ([[User talk:Pi one|talk]]) 17:06, 14 January 2021 (UTC)

I like how the curvature of the world is drawn to scale as well. IE: imperceptibly curved. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.182|108.162.216.182]] 17:13, 14 January 2021 (UTC)

Probably not actually related to the comic, but the notes in the explanation about how "earth on this scale would be the size of an asteroid" made me think of the Little Prince, which Randall is known to be fond of. -MeZimm [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.85|162.158.74.85]] 18:26, 14 January 2021 (UTC)

For comparison the Queen's Museum model of NY City is at a scale of 1:1,200. 1:10,000 maps of many areas are available, so you could lay out a county or so in your living room. Not as good as a model but still interesting.[[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.121|173.245.54.121]] 22:33, 14 January 2021 (UTC)
: As recently added to the explanation, but in case anyone missed it and yet would finds it of interest: http://www.mapascotland.org/ [[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.85|162.158.155.85]] 22:41, 14 January 2021 (UTC)

This reminds me of the planet Dwarf Terrace-9 from Rick and Morty. Possible reference? [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.19|173.245.54.19]] 23:59, 14 January 2021 (UTC)

A fun bit of trivia I noticed is that the Kármán line (the "edge of spaaaace") would be a little below the height of a typical utility pole (10.67 m).[[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.82|108.162.245.82]] 00:36, 15 January 2021 (UTC)

Usual models are fragile ; however, I wonder if Randalls scaled copy of Earth, apparently with enough gravity to have atmosphere and with planes capable of flight despite being very slow, would somehow be more sturdy and feature cities which you wouldn't be able to damage by stepping on them. THAT may be the reason why the rules are mostly for protection of the guests: airplanes and weather balloons may be only things they can damage directly, however the tsunami and volcanoes are still dangerous. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 11:00, 15 January 2021 (UTC)
:Imagine the cities being made of LEGO bricks. Not like the buildings built from LEGO bricks but that single LEGO bricks (or other LEGO pieces) ARE the builidngs. Ever stepped on a LEGO brick barefooted? It hurts AF... [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 12:13, 15 January 2021 (UTC)

2373: Chemist Eggs

2020-12-02T09:22:12Z

162.158.165.54: A link this long should be shortened

{{comic
| number = 2373
| date = October 16, 2020
| title = Chemist Eggs
| image = chemist_eggs.png
| titletext = Chemists actually find it simpler to define a general odor of rotten eggs as a baseline, and the LACK of rotten eggs as a distinct smell.
}}

==Explanation==

In this comic, [[Ponytail]] explains to [[Cueball]] that if he smells sulfides then the chemistry experiment on which they're working has failed. Ponytail then clarifies that sulfides smell like rotten eggs. The main and most distinct chemical rotten eggs emit is {{w|hydrogen sulfide}}, hence most people who smell them will link the chemical with "rotten egg smell".

Cueball replies, however, that he doesn't actually know what rotten eggs smell like, and it's odd that everyone uses that as a comparison. This is a result of changing times — decades ago, when the 'rotten eggs' descriptor became commonplace in chemistry education at high schools and universities, rotten eggs were indeed common enough that cooks avoided adding eggs directly to other ingredients, lest the rotten egg, not detected until after it was too late, force the cook to discard everything and start over. Vastly improved farming, shipping, and marketing practices have made the rotten egg vanishingly rare, at least at supermarkets in the USA. Moreover, much greater recognition of the health hazards of hydrogen sulfide means that, due to various occupational safety precautions, opportunities for sniffing the gas have become scarce, and usually engender swift reactions such as building evacuation.

Thus, the comparison has outlived the circumstances that spawned it, and chemistry teachers parrot a line they learned as students, which is no longer relevant to the students' experience. Cueball then takes the disconnect between the trope and his experience and pushes it for all it's worth. This could be taken as symbolic of people who spot such discordances and blow them out of proportion to troll others, in which case, Cueball has most definitely succeeded, based on how Ponytail reacts — she is clenching her fists in anger as she leaves the conversation, presumably to avoid further irritation. (Perhaps she smells eggs often from the people in [[382: Trebuchet]]!)

Some of [[Cueball]]'s questions suggest that chemists use eggs in place of other items. For example, the superstitious may react to a {{w|spilling salt|spilling of salt}} by picking it up and throwing it over their left shoulder, ostensibly as an attempt to blind the Devil. Another relates to the upcoming night before Halloween event called "{{w|Mischief Night}}", where kids are known to {{w|Egging|throw eggs}} at houses. Cueball asks Ponytail how she will know if this has happened, as he thinks she keeps an unsusually large numer of eggs in her house.

Even though rotten eggs (and hydrogen sulfide in general) are much less common nowadays, many fuel gases are mixed with odorant compounds to signal that a leak is happening; even if the user might be unfamiliar with "rotten eggs" specifically, a large amount of unpleasant odor still works as an alarm that something bad is happening. People who use natural gas or propane stoves should be familiar with the similarly rotten smell of {{w|methanethiol}}, {{w|ethanethiol}}, and/or {{w|tert-butylthiol}} (the "-SH" thiol group is a common feature of many pungent odors, including garlic and skunk spray). Some {{w|Mineral springs|mineral springs}} and other natural water sources also contain sulfides and have a strong sulfide odor and flavor; they are sometimes referred to as "sulfur springs".

The title text makes a joke about how often chemists use the comparison, saying that they use a rotten egg smell as the baseline, and that a lack of the smell is a distinct one. Given the health hazards of hydrogen sulfide and the regulations now enforced in recognition of those hazards, the chemistry teacher probably doesn't often experience the smell either. Since hydrogen sulfide deadens the sense of smell, taking this smell as a 'baseline' is improbable and potentially dangerous, and it's unfortunate that the title text makes this suggestion.

== Trivia ==
The amount of eggs eaten per person in the U.S was estimated at 289.5 in 2019. ([https://www.statista.com/statistics/183678/per-capita-consumption-of-eggs-in-the-us-since-2000/#:~:text=In%202019%2C%20consumption%20of%20eggs,by%20the%20total%20U.S.%20population Source here ])

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and Ponytail face a table with something like a lab stirrer or heater on it, supporting a flat-bottomed and -topped container from which bubbles are rising.]
:Cueball: How will I know if the reaction fails?
:Ponytail: You'll smell the sulfides.
:Cueball: What do those smell like?
:Ponytail: Sulfurous. Rotten eggs.

:[A new panel, the table is gone. Cueball is now facing Ponytail.]
:Cueball: Chemists always compare sulfur to rotten eggs.
:Cueball: But why would I know that smell?
:Ponytail: I dunno, It's a common thing!

:[Ponytail puts her hand out.]
:Cueball: Is it? My kitchen is messy, but there aren't eggs lying around rotting.
:Ponytail: You must have smelled one at ''some'' point.

:[Ponytail is now walking right off-panel, away from Cueball. She is clenching her hands and is evidently annoyed]
:Cueball: Are all chemists' houses full of random raw eggs? Do you toss them over your shoulder for good luck?
:Ponytail: '''''My house is not full of eggs!'''''
:Cueball: What do you consider a normal amount of eggs in a house?
:Cueball: If kids egg your house this Halloween, how will you know??

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Chemistry]]
[[Category:Food]]

Talk:2385: Final Exam

2020-11-14T03:28:53Z

162.158.165.54: Added comment

Perhaps add a note about how multiple people trying to achieve the same goal would be impossible, so therefore it would be a test of game theory to see how the final grades end up. You'd want to be the last one to make all the changes. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.107.197|162.158.107.197]] 23:51, 13 November 2020 (UTC)
:It's a contest to hack the grades ''and'' to lock out all of the other students from making further changes. [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 00:49, 14 November 2020 (UTC)
Title text seems to be a reference to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guess_2/3_of_the_average.
[[User:Anonymous3|Anonymous3]] ([[User talk:Anonymous3|talk]]) 01:10, 14 November 2020 (UTC)

The current "change every fifth answer to the bubble below it" explanation appears to make the implausible assumption that the exam is multiple-choice. [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 03:19, 14 November 2020 (UTC)

Clearly the optimal solution for both courses is to change the grade to be ''out of 0'', thus a score of 0 being a perfect score and also meet the requirements for Game Theory. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.165.54|162.158.165.54]] 03:28, 14 November 2020 (UTC)