explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

2842: Inspiraling Roundabout

2023-10-17T04:40:57Z

162.158.166.167: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2842
| date = October 16, 2023
| title = Inspiraling Roundabout
| image = inspiraling_roundabout.png
| titletext = Look, I just think we need to stop coddling those hedonistic roundabout hogs who get into the inner lane and circle for hours, wasting valuable capacity.
}}
==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a ROUNDABOUT HOG}}

A {{w|roundabout}}, also called a traffic circle or rotary, is a traffic control device that often serves as an alternative to stop signs, instead allowing for mere yields, as all traffic flows in the same direction around a central point. This comic shows a top down view of an "Inspiraling Roundabout", a roundabout that continually spirals inward, eventually leading every road directly into the center.

The caption states that it's [[Technically|technically]] navigable, since you can get anywhere on the roundabout without breaking highway laws, but that the Highway Department has rejected it, presumably due to being extremely impractical compared to a normal roundabout. The dotted lines mean that merging into adjacent lanes is allowed, which greatly reduces the time it takes to get to any other road because you no longer have to go all the way to the center to move to the left road from where you enter.

Something of note is that the only way to start going clockwise is to go all the way to the center of the road, and you are actually required to go clockwise due to moving outward with the spirals. It is also impossible to leave the roundabout while going clockwise, since you must be going counterclockwise to get to the exits, and you cannot move back into the center to change the direction you are going.

The title text mentions how people have been "coddling those hedonistic roundabout hogs who get into the inner lane and circle for hours", since, in what are presumably normal roundabouts, people drive in circles in the inner lane for hours because they find it fun, despite how much time, fuel, and mental willpower would be wasted doing it, and these people are protected by others, despite this never happening in the real world. {{citation needed}}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}
:[A large roundabout with a spiral of dotted lines, three entrances, and three exits.]

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Even though it '''''was''''' technically navigable, the highway department vetoed my inspiraling roundabout design.

{{comic discussion}}

2842: Inspiraling Roundabout

2023-10-17T04:39:59Z

162.158.166.167: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2842
| date = October 16, 2023
| title = Inspiraling Roundabout
| image = inspiraling_roundabout.png
| titletext = Look, I just think we need to stop coddling those hedonistic roundabout hogs who get into the inner lane and circle for hours, wasting valuable capacity.
}}
==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a ROUNDABOUT HOG}}

A {{w|roundabout}}, also called a traffic circle or rotary, is a traffic control device that often serves as an alternative to stop signs, instead allowing for mere yields, as all traffic flows in the same direction around a central point. This comic shows a top down view of an "Inspiraling Roundabout", a roundabout that continually spirals inward, eventually leading every road directly into the center.

The caption states that it's [[Technically|technically]] navigable, since you can get anywhere on the roundabout without breaking highway laws, but that the Highway Department has rejected it, presumably due to being extremely impractical compared to a normal roundabout. The dotted lines mean that merging into adjacent lanes is allowed, which greatly reduces the time it takes to get to any other road because you no longer have to go all the way to the center to move to the left road from where you enter.

Something of note is that the only way to start going clockwise is to go all the way to the center of the road, and you are actually required to go clockwise due to moving outward with the spirals. It is also impossible to leave the roundabout while going clockwise, since you must be going counterclockwise to get to the exits, and you cannot move back into the center to change the direction you are going.

The title text mentions how people have been "coddling those hedonistic roundabout hogs who get into the inner lane and circle for hours", since, in what are presumably normal roundabouts, people drive in circles in the inner lane for hours because they find it fun, despite how much time, fuel, and mental willpower would be wasted doing it, and these people are protected by others, despite this never happening in the real world.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}
:[A large roundabout with a spiral of dotted lines, three entrances, and three exits.]

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Even though it '''''was''''' technically navigable, the highway department vetoed my inspiraling roundabout design.

{{comic discussion}}

2842: Inspiraling Roundabout

2023-10-17T04:39:48Z

162.158.166.167: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2842
| date = October 16, 2023
| title = Inspiraling Roundabout
| image = inspiraling_roundabout.png
| titletext = Look, I just think we need to stop coddling those hedonistic roundabout hogs who get into the inner lane and circle for hours, wasting valuable capacity.
}}
==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a ROUNDABOUT HOG}}

A {{w|roundabout}}, also called a traffic circle or rotary, is a traffic control device that often serves as an alternative to stop signs, instead allowing for mere yields, as all traffic flows in the same direction around a central point. This comic shows a top down view of an "Inspiraling Roundabout", a roundabout that continually spirals inward, eventually leading every road directly into the center.

The caption states that it's [[Technically|technically]]navigable, since you can get anywhere on the roundabout without breaking highway laws, but that the Highway Department has rejected it, presumably due to being extremely impractical compared to a normal roundabout. The dotted lines mean that merging into adjacent lanes is allowed, which greatly reduces the time it takes to get to any other road because you no longer have to go all the way to the center to move to the left road from where you enter.

Something of note is that the only way to start going clockwise is to go all the way to the center of the road, and you are actually required to go clockwise due to moving outward with the spirals. It is also impossible to leave the roundabout while going clockwise, since you must be going counterclockwise to get to the exits, and you cannot move back into the center to change the direction you are going.

The title text mentions how people have been "coddling those hedonistic roundabout hogs who get into the inner lane and circle for hours", since, in what are presumably normal roundabouts, people drive in circles in the inner lane for hours because they find it fun, despite how much time, fuel, and mental willpower would be wasted doing it, and these people are protected by others, despite this never happening in the real world.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}
:[A large roundabout with a spiral of dotted lines, three entrances, and three exits.]

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Even though it '''''was''''' technically navigable, the highway department vetoed my inspiraling roundabout design.

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:2370: Prediction

2020-10-12T09:23:26Z

162.158.166.167:

Is that a JoJo's reference?!1!! [[Special:Contributions/172.68.142.213|172.68.142.213]] 23:18, 9 October 2020 (UTC)
: Dunno who or what JoJo is (unless Jojo Siwa? But how would that be relevant?), but this is at least 70% likely to be a reference to the current election season in the USA and 538's (and others') predictions of Donald Trump's chance of winning the election in 2016 and 2020. In 2016, if I recall correctly, Trump had about a 30% chance to win (and thus Clinton had a 70% chance to win), and when 538's model launched earlier this year, the chances were basically the same (28-71 (with a 1% of an electoral college split because the USA's election system is phenomenally stupid)). Since then, Trump's chances of winning legitimately (538 does not attempt to model the chances and effects of election interference or votes not being counted) have slipped to about a 15% chance of winning which sounds bad, but will still happen in approximately 1 of every 7 tries, or about the number of Mondays in a week. Not great, but not impossible, either....)[[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.194|162.158.75.194]] 23:36, 9 October 2020 (UTC)
::Yare yare, not knowing about Jojo's Bizzare Adventure. I can see where OP is coming from but I don't think Randall watches anime...
::Now, let's talk about another misconception: lot of people intuitively think that an if event has chance of 1/7, it will almost surely happen at least once in seven tries. In reality, that chance is just 66%. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 00:17, 10 October 2020 (UTC)
:::The 1/7 thing surprised me, which is good for me. Of course I checked the math. (6/7) ^ 7 = 34%, about. So it is not 50-50, it is 66-34.
:::It may not be critical or may be obvious but in the comic, it seems to be understood that Event A or Event B may happen but not both, which "of course" affects how probability works. The difference between flipping one coin or two coins.
:::If it is about the election, then if most people decide early to vote or not, and for whom, then the election isn't really random. However, the poll is random; they pick a few people out and ask their intention. The picking is unreliable even in a large sample (another probability surprise) and so is whether the people picked answer truthfully about their voting intention. Robert Carnegie rja.carnegie@gmail.com [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.155|141.101.98.155]] 11:42, 10 October 2020 (UTC)
::Yup, this is another politics comic. It's very similar to [[1131: Math]], and also reflects similar frustrations as the more recent [[2357]], although from a different angle (2357 was about lack of respect for polls, while this one's about poor grasp of odds and probability in the context of election models). [[User:Pelosujamo|Pelosujamo]] ([[User talk:Pelosujamo|talk]]) 04:09, 10 October 2020 (UTC)

I don't know of Randall's got a series of White Hat comics sitting ready (the last one being [[2368]]) but he didn't want it to look like a 'series' so padded with something else. If we've got another such dialogue before the end of next week, it may be a sign he's recently had a particularly bad conversation/message-session with someone and just wanted to vent a bit. And I wouldn't blame him, if that's so. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.107.82|141.101.107.82]] 00:24, 10 October 2020 (UTC)
:(PS, pre-post edit, but not for the want of trying: CAPTCHA wanted me to identify tractors. Two obvious tractors, no tractors on ''any'' of the other tiles (definitely) but one of them had a road-roller. Refused to accept the two tractors only, and I'm refusing to support the presumably incorrect Id of the roller, so come back to edit this in, do my own venting, and perhaps I'll get a better CAPTCHA when I retry in a moment... (Thanks to an Edit Conflict after I was finished fighting the Captcha I'm able to come back to tell you that the next one was Stairs, and I aced that one! But gotta suffer at least one more, yet...)) Also [[Special:Contributions/141.101.107.82|141.101.107.82]] 00:24, 10 October 2020 (UTC)
::According to the latest episode of QI XL (oh, hang on, [[https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000ngdd have a linky]]) they suggest that being asked to do an actual Captcha for "I'm not a robot" means that you weren't exhibiting human-enough browsing activity ''before'' clicking that box. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.154|141.101.98.154]] 20:41, 10 October 2020 (UTC)

Probabilities are hard to understand intuitively when you're actually talking about a one-time event. If you roll a d6 a whole bunch of times, you'll get each face about 1 out of 6 times. But it's not like we can hold the election 100 times, and then we can see if Biden wins around 52 of them to prove Nate Silver right or wrong. Also, elections aren't random processes like rolling dice -- there are human beings making conscious decisions how to vote, and we like to believe that we understand human motivations and can predict what people will do, at least in aggregate (fields like economics and marketing depend on this). Unfortunately, it's tough to make predictions, especially about the future (thank you, Yogi Berra). [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 05:44, 10 October 2020 (UTC)

Vote folks. [[User:Boatster|Boatster]] ([[User talk:Boatster|talk]]) 07:14, 10 October 2020 (UTC)

How do we know that Cueball doesn’t have a number of pre-recorded messages and he just chooses the one that suits the situation? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.54|162.158.155.54]] 09:26, 10 October 2020 (UTC)
:We don't! 02:42, 11 October 2020 (UTC)
::So that's impossible then? :p [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.103|162.158.158.103]] 09:20, 11 October 2020 (UTC)

For the first time since I've been reading this site, the explanation has left me more baffled than the comic. Five hours previous to me making this comment, somebody edited the explanation to add a highly technical reference that I assume may be British English, because it sure ain't American. What does "passing a flat check with a DC of" refer to? What is the formula for a flat check? And is it any different than what we in America would call a rubber check, and is passing one (essentially committing a form of counterfeiting) illegal where you are from?[[User:Seebert|Seebert]] ([[User talk:Seebert|talk]]) 13:53, 11 October 2020 (UTC)
:It's a role-playing or board game reference. I googled it, and found this: https://2e.aonprd.com/Rules.aspx?ID=333 [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 18:24, 11 October 2020 (UTC)

Roll Charisma. DC 15.
Ok. *rolls* NAT 20! --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.202|108.162.216.202]] 18:19, 11 October 2020 (UTC)

The first sentence of the last paragraph is in the past tense, and will be correct when the U.S. elections are over. The next sentence is in the present tense. I'm not sure which is better, but we should be consistent. [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 18:31, 11 October 2020 (UTC)

I feel compelled to point out that if the conversation had not gone as he ‘predicted’ he never would have mentioned his ‘prediction’ at all. Responses to this comment will be exactly what I predict, you’ll see when I tell you what I predicted. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.189.161|172.68.189.161]] 19:32, 11 October 2020 (UTC)

This reminds me of hearing about several years ago in Italy there were a bunch of little earthquakes, and they asked some scientists if that meant there were was a big earthquake coming, and they said probably not but they couldn't be certain, then a big earthquake happened and some people died, then they put the scientists on trial for manslaughter.--[[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.36|162.158.75.36]] 07:48, 12 October 2020 (UTC)

Interesting. Here I was thinking this was related to Trumps assertion that he doesn't think Scientists have any idea what will happen with the global climate situation, but no one has made any reference to it at all so far. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.166.167|162.158.166.167]] 09:23, 12 October 2020 (UTC)

2369: All-in-One

2020-10-11T02:32:29Z

162.158.166.167: /* Explanation */ Citation obviously needed about difficulty of scanning shredded documents

{{comic
| number = 2369
| date = October 7, 2020
| title = All-in-One
| image = all_in_one.png
| titletext = Changes with this update: If you use the combined scan-shred function, it now performs them in that order instead of the reverse, saving a HUGE amount of CPU time.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by THOSE PERFORATED EDGE STRIPS THAT ARE SO FUN TO TEAR. Needs an explanation of what all the functions do. Maybe give possible reasons to why Randall created this comic? Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This is an xkcd-style parody of an {{w|all-in-one printer}}, a printer which typically can perform several functions, usually printing, scanning, copying, and faxing. This machine starts off with fairly standard printer functions but quickly becomes absurd. The machine is accordingly oversized, making room for all the status indicators and (presumably) the extra internal parts required to accomplish the uncommon functions.

The title text says that if both the scan and shred options are selected, it now scans things ''before'' trying to destroy them. Previously the machine destroyed documents and then scanned the pieces and tried to reconstruct them, which takes a large amount of processing power, as the attempts to recover the german Stasi Documents has shown, in addition to the fact that it is extremely hard to correctly scan shredded and crumpled documents.{{Citation needed}} The possibility of doing so raises the possibility that this printer itself is a even more complex computer than one would expect a multi-function printer to be, or that its driver can monopolize a host computer. It is also worth noting that if one selects "copy and shred" one could also just do nothing with the same effect.

===List of functions===
 Certain functions are lit green, indicating they are in use. To show which ones are in use, they are highlighted green (selected).

====''Functions that most all-in-one printers do''====
*'''{{w|Print}}''' (selected): The most common function that a printer needs to do. A digital document or graphic exists on a computer, is sent to the printer and the printer transfers the document onto paper using ink or toner.
*'''{{w|Photocopier|Copy}}''': A copy function allows a user to place a document on the integrated/linked scanning bed and the printer will immediately make a copy of the document as if a traditional 'analogue' photocopier.
*'''{{w|Fax}}''' (selected): A fax function sends a scanned document by telephone to another telephone number. The receiver fax machine will reconstruct the document and print it. A machine that has this function is usually also able to act as a receiver for faxes sent from elsewhere, though that setting wouldn't be visible in this configuration group.
*'''{{w|Image scanner|Scan}}''': A scan function is used to optically scan images or documents into digital forms so that they can be used by computers. It can be seen as the reverse operation of the printer function.
*'''{{w|Collate}}''' (selected): To sort multiple copies of printed documents into sequences of individual page order, usually across multiple output trays having one sequence for each copy, especially before binding.
*'''{{w|Staple (fastener)|Staple}}''' (selected): To staple together multipage documents, especially for each collated copy. This function is usually found only in high-end printers.

====''Functions that relate to printers, that most printers cannot do''====
*'''Staple Removal''': Although mechanical removal of staples can be done by various devices, it's often not a ''simple'' task. Staples can be bent and mangled in many ways, and detaching them from paper without causing damage can require fairly complex intelligence.
*'''{{w|Paper shredder|Shred}}''': A shredder function is used to destroy paper for privacy or security by cutting it into strips or fine particles. Normally this task is handled by another specialised machine called a shredder, but this time it is already inbuilt into the printer.
*'''{{w|Translate}}''': If the paper text is in another language, this would presumably translate it for you — after scanning and {{w|Optical character recognition|OCRing}}. This would actually be a helpful function and may be available on recent scanner-printers, although usually in the software that comes with the printer, on the host computer, rather than inside the printer itself.
*'''Add those {{w|Perforation|perforated}} edge strips that are so fun to tear''': In an earlier era, {{w|dot matrix printers}} and {{w|line printer|line printers}} were the common standard, and used a type of {{w|continuous stationery}}, which was manufactured with perforated strips along each side, with regularly spaced holes which allowed spiked wheels to advance the paper through the printer. Tearing these strips off after printing was once a standard task when using a printer. This type of stationery is now obsolete, but many people of Randall's generation become oddly nostalgic about removing the strips from the old style of paper -- the strips are kind of fun to play with. Note that the old stationery was designed such that the remaining page typically had a "standard" paper width, with the strips adding additional width. It's unclear if this function is adding ''perforations'' to standard paper, which would leave it too narrow once the resulting edge strips were removed, or is somehow adding perforated ''strips'' to it.

====''Functions completely unrelated to printing''====
*'''Summarize''': Presumably this function would summarize a printed material for the user. Similar to the translate function, a document would need to be scanned and OCRed first. Then a machine learning algorithm would comprehend the text and reduce it in length while keeping the important points. {{w|Automatic_summarization|Automatic text summarization}} does exist, although the technology is not as widely used as automatic translation.
*'''{{w|plagiarism|Plagiarize}}''': This function is unclear. Maybe it would plagiarize a paper for a certain subject? It would also be legally questionable. (Maybe it plagiarizes printer techniques, in which case this might be useful, though only in edgecases)
*'''Roll''': This function is unclear. Perhaps it would roll up paper into a roll, like how the newspaper is rolled up for distribution by paperboys.
*'''Burn''': Perhaps the printer has this function for greater assurance that sensitive information will be irretrievably destroyed. Historically, some printers could be at risk of catching fire if they jammed in a particular way, and so the "{{w|lp0 on fire}}" error code was created to signal that it should be investigated urgently.
*'''Eat''': A printer is often said to "eat" paper by mangling either the input or output. Printer failure is also the modern descendant of the classic excuse for late homework, "{{w|the dog ate my homework}}".
*'''{{w|paper airplane|Fold airplane}}''': This function makes paper airplanes out of paper stored in the printer, or documents being printed.
*'''{{w|Origami}} flower''': Similar to the previous one, this function makes flowers using the origami paper folding process.
*'''{{w|Corrugate}}''': {{w|Corrugated fiberboard}} or cardboard is a kind of crinkled paper sandwiched between two sheets. This provides structural strength for low weight. Printers that jam can produce a paper that looks corrugated, but this is not an intended function, and corrugated fiberboard is not made with printers.
*'''{{w|Papier-mâché}}''': (Literally "chewed paper") is a composite construction material consisting of paper pieces, bound with an adhesive, often a flour paste. The printer could use its "shred" and "eat" functions to produce the necessary materials, and any leftovers could be composted with the "biodegrade" function.
*'''{{w|Découpage}}''': An art form where paper printed with decorative images is glued onto an object (typically boxes, but also furniture) and covered with many layers of varnish so that the images appear painted onto the object.
*'''Notarize''' (selected): A {{w|notary public}} is a person certified by a government to attest that certain kinds of legal documentation are legitimate and executed. All-in-one printers and scanners may be able to recognize certain signs of legitimacy (e.g. the {{w|EURion constellation}}), but unless this printer has some tactile sensation, it cannot certify the identity of the person who signed the document as a human can.
*'''{{w|Biodegrade}}''': This would biodegrade the paper. Whether this would send it to an organic waste plant (which would be helpful) or actually house a composter inside the printer (which would be gross){{Citation needed}} is unknown.
*'''Crumple and throw at trash like basketball''' (selected): Many people, when done with a piece of paper, will crumple it up and throw it into a trash can from a distance as if playing basketball. This wouldn't be a very useful feature in a printer, especially relative to its complexity. For one thing, it would prevent the person who printed the document from using it (even if the user intends to throw away the paper eventually, presumably they need to use it at least once or they wouldn't print it), and it would also deny the user one of the few pleasures available in the office environment.

==Transcript==
:[A large printer-like machine, with the label All-in-One Paper Processor on the top left of it. There are three columns of functions, with a few of them having a green light. At the top of the machine is a "paper feed" tray. At the bottom of the machine, is a large hole, for outputting the paper.]

:'''Column 1'''
:*Print (lit green)
:*Copy
:*Fax (lit green)
:*Shred
:*Scan
:*Translate
:*Summarize
:*Plagiarize
:*Collate (lit green)

:'''Column 2'''
:*Staple (lit green)
:*Remove staples
:*Add those perforated edge strips that are so fun to tear
:*Roll
:*Burn
:*Eat

:'''Column 3'''
:*Fold airplane
:*Origami flower
:*Corrugate
:*Paper-mâché
:*Découpage
:*Notarize (lit green)
:*Biodegrade
:*Crumple and throw at trash like a basketball (lit green)

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]

1998: GDPR

2018-05-26T03:37:47Z

162.158.166.167:

{{comic
| number = 1998
| date = May 25, 2018
| title = GDPR
| image = gdpr.png
| titletext = By clicking anywhere, scrolling, or closing this notification, you agree to be legally bound by the witch Sycorax within a cloven pine.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by the EUROPEAN UNION - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic was released on the date on which the {{w|General Data Protection Regulation|General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)}} law went into effect. Most people will have already seen a large number of updated privacy policies in the week or two leading up to this law going active. And while [[xkcd]] would likely be outside of the jurisdiction that the law can enforce, it technically does fall within the scope of the law (as certainly EU citizens visit xkcd).

There are several references made to this law, but also several jokes are included about the way people treat privacy policies specifically, and user agreements in general.

The comic is a joke privacy policy, with terms that no one would agree to under normal circumstances. In most cases, website users will use websites without reading the policies, potentially "agreeing" to something unexpected.

"purely out of the goodness of our hearts" is a phrase never expected to be found ever anywhere in any privacy policy. "and has nothing to do with ..." is a blatantly transparent lie - if this were a real privacy policy.

"governs your interactions" starts out as a plausibly valid statement including "the service" and "the website". But then balloons outward to include the entire Internet and Facebook. As this presumably is a privacy policy only for XKCD, this policy should not attempt to claim that it also represents Facebook or the entire Internet. The extension to Facebook may be a reference to reports that [https://www.smh.com.au/world/asia/facebook-is-the-internet-for-many-people-in-south-east-asia-20180322-p4z5nu.html "for many people ... Facebook is the Internet."]

"Please don't send us your personal information" is also a phrase never expected to be found ever in a privacy policy. A privacy policy, by default, is a contract users agree to BECAUSE personal information is being stored. This is likely a reference to the previous comic [[1997: Business Update]]

The phrase "quartering troops in your home" is likely a reference to the {{w|Third Amendment to the United States Constitution}}, which explicitly forbids this practice during peacetime. Refusing to quarter troops in one's home was previously referenced in [[496: Secretary: Part 3]].

"If you tell us your name" is presumably something that Randall does in real life and is not part of a privacy policy.

"This website places pixels" is something websites are designed to do and has nothing to do with privacy policies. Websites are more often employing "callback pixels" from companies such as Facebook and Twitter, which is an image file that is hosted on an external server that allows cross-platform and cross-session tracking for targeted advertisements. This is a controversial topic, as many people are against this kind of targeted advertising.

"We use cookies to enhance your performance." apparently says that Randall is giving out actual cookies that can be eaten. Privacy policies normally deal with electronic cookies that track user activity and store personal information.

"may use local storage" is threatening to turn the user's device into cloud storage should Randall run out of space on his drive.

The [http://lotr.wikia.com/wiki/Warning_beacons_of_Gondor Warning beacons of Gondor] were a system to call for aid used by {{w|Gondor}} in ''{{w|The Lord of the Rings}}''. They were used before the [http://lotr.wikia.com/wiki/Siege_of_Gondor Battle of the Pelennor Fields] to request the aid of the {{w|Rohan (Middle-earth)|Rohirrim}}. The use of the Beacons has previously been mentioned in [[921: Delivery Notification]].

{{w|3rd Party}} was a three-member dance-pop group that released one album in 1997, "Alive". In software, "third-party extensions" are small programs that plug into a larger program to modify its behavior, and are created neither by the maker of the larger program nor the user.

"requesting permission" can be construed in several frightening ways. 1. We will ask you after you die if you are willing to donate your organs. 2. We were not asking permission before, but now we have to ask. 3. We will ask you, but your answer doesn't actually matter. 4. We've switched from an organ donation program (legal) to an organ harvesting program (wildly illegal). Besides these frightening scenarios, there is also the question of how a website (and not a doctor) is going to perform the harvesting.

"supersedes" is an apparently valid statement. It's inclusiveness is quite extreme, but appears to be a technically valid statement.

"unenforceable" claims to have higher jurisdiction than any court and can somehow maintain legality even if a court disagrees. A typical policy would read that an unenforceable provision would not invalidate the rest of the policy.

"not liable" and "shall not be construed" are blanket statements that are supposed to have limiters. For example, a restaurant could have a policy stating "not liable for burns received from our hot coffee." A statement made to a court could say "The defendant's statement of giving the prostitute money shall not be construed as an admission of committing a crime." This makes little sense when claiming the website “is not liable” for anything, and “shall not be construed” to have any meaning whatsoever.

The Food and Drug Administration has nothing to do with privacy policies. As such, this is an accurate statement. Silly, but accurate.

"cure and treat any disease" is claiming to be a medical panacea. Panacea do not exist. It is also mocking the label on many food and health supplements, which are legally required to say they are “not intended to cure or treat any disease.”

The title text is a reference to Shakespeare's "{{w|The Tempest}}", in which the witch {{w|Sycorax}} imprisoned the sprite Ariel in a cloven pine prior to Ariel's rescue by Prospero.

==Transcript==
:[The picture shows a long text:]
:'''Privacy policy'''
:We've updated our privacy policy. This is purely out of the goodness of our hearts, and has nothing to do with any hypothetical unions on any particular continents. Please read every part of this policy carefully, and don't just skip ahead looking for sex scenes.
:This policy governs your interactions with this website, herein referred to as "The Service", "The Website", "The Internet", or "Facebook", and with all other websites and organizations of any kind. The enumeration in this policy, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the users. By using this service, you opt in to quartering troops in your home.

:'''Your personal information'''
:Please don't send us your personal information. We do not want your personal information. We have a hard enough time keeping track of our ''own'' personal information, let alone yours.
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{{comic discussion}}

691: MicroSD

2017-02-01T06:03:53Z

162.158.166.167: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 691
| date = January 20, 2010
| title = MicroSD
| image = microsd.png
| titletext = That card holds a refrigerator carton's worth of floppy discs, and a soda can full of those cards could hold the entire iTunes store's music library. Mmmm.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Secure_Digital|microSD}} is one format of the Secure Digital memory card format, used in digital cameras, cell phones, and other devices. It is very small, only 15×11×1 mm, but can hold large amounts of data. When this comic was published in January 2010 the maximum capacity for microSD cards was 16GB. The current maximum capacity is 256GB (as of May 2016).

The main character in the comic (on the right) thinks about all the ideas that could be expressed by the data in the microSD card, or in a library. He feels not just reverent and intimidated, but sexually aroused by the thought. As he begins to touch it, his friend is disgusted by what might happen if he uses the card as some kind of sex toy, and does not want to help him locate the card if it gets "lost" inside a body cavity.

The title text seems to be the main character thinking about how much data the card holds, in terms of {{w|floppy disks}} and the {{w|iTunes}} music library, and feeling aroused by these thoughts.

Randalls claims in the title text do check out. A high density floppy disk with a FAT format holds about 1.4 MB of data, and has dimensions of 90×94×3 mm, for a volume of about 2.5 cm³. A refrigerator carton is the large cardboard box that fridges are delivered in. A typical refrigerator carton may be 1800×700×700 mm, a volume of about 0.9 m³. So a fridge carton could hold about 35000 90mm floppies, or roughly 50GB. This is comparable to the storage on a single microSD card. A soda can (1 ml = 1 cm³) could hold 3000 microSD cards, or store 50TB of data. However, the iTunes store claims to hold 26 million songs (as of Summer 2014), and allowing for about 2MB per song gives 50 TB of music. The claim that a soda can could hold the iTunes library seems to be reasonable.

Related to this topic is [http://what-if.xkcd.com/31/ this xkcd What If blog entry].

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and a friend approach a table.]
:Cueball: Hey, what's up?
:Friend: Shhhhh.
:Cueball: Hrm?
:Friend: There's a microSD card on your table.

:[A microSD card sits next to an assortment of coins for size reference.]
:Cueball (out of panel): So?
:Friend (out of panel): I dunno, high storage densities freak me out. A whole aisle of library shelves on something smaller than a dime.

:[The two people stand near the table, the friend peering at the coins and card on the table.]
:Friend: Libraries are unnerving enough-millions of ideas surrounding you, towering over you. These cards fill me with that same reverence, that same intimidation.

:[Cueball stands alone.]
:Friend (out of panel): ...that same faint arousal. Maybe I'll just touch it.
:Cueball: If you lose that card I'm NOT helping you find it.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]