explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:2997: Solar Protons

2024-10-11T17:57:47Z

162.158.175.99:

cute and wholesome 😊 [[User:CalibansCreations|'''Caliban''']] ([[User talk:CalibansCreations|talk]]) 17:29, 11 October 2024 (UTC)

Re, "idealized depiction": does this mean it's not a real photo? Is it AI? It would be nice to know the source, if possible. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.175.99|162.158.175.99]] 17:57, 11 October 2024 (UTC)

2953: Alien Theories

2024-07-03T01:02:55Z

162.158.175.99: /* Explanation added wikipedia link for World UFO Day*/

{{comic
| number = 2953
| date = July 1, 2024
| title = Alien Theories
| image = alien_theories_2x.png
| imagesize = 352x308px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = They originally came here to try to investigate our chemtrail technology, and got increasingly frustrated when all their samples turned out to just be water ice with trace amounts of jet exhaust.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created IN A GALAXY FAR FAR AWAY THAT'S SPYING ON US - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

A cultural phenomenon on Earth is based on the concept that {{w|unidentified flying objects}} (UFOs) represent visitors from extraterrestrial civilizations (aliens), to the extent that "UFO" may be considered entirely synonymous with "alien spacecraft", rather than the more basic truth of being just not having yet been recognized as anything in particular. In the USA, these are now officially termed "unidentified anomalous/aerial phenomena" (UAPs), in an attempt to mitigate this type of automatic association, although there are already those who readily adopt the new term as equally indicative of their old opinions.

Being unidentified, there could be many trivial reasons (and a few {{w|Ball lightning|still very interesting}} non-trivial ones) that could be the truth of any particular observation, without needing to invoke the presence of aliens. But those who believe that UFOs/UAPs are extraterrestrial spacecraft may respond to those who reject this idea with the line, "These objects have capabilities superior to ours, it would be foolish not to investigate," especially in cases where astounding speeds and maneuverability are apparently observed (however much they may be more trivial phenomena, such as camera movement, glints off lenses, or other optical effects) or conveyed by uncorroborated witness statements

This comic attributes the "foolish not to investigate" line to bona fide flying saucers who have chosen to make direct communication with Earth, represented by Cueball (who seems to calmly accept their presence). Whereas skeptical humans may confront UFO believers with evidence that their belief in aliens is unfounded, and argue that it is pointless to continue to promote theories (conspiracy or otherwise) about them, Cueball confronts the flying saucers with evidence that aliens do exist (in the form of themselves), and therefore promoting further unsubstantiated theories would seem redundant in the first degree.

The aliens we see would [[2572: Alien Observers|surely know]] which vague terrestrial observations were ''actually'' of themselves, and could certainly confirm the existence of themselves in the first place, but seem to conclude that various other 'unidentified' observations on Earth are mysteries worthy of their own wild speculation, concluding that anything that doesn't conform to their own known abilities must be an (additional) alien visitation of some kind. Cueball is annoyed that the occupants of the flying saucers maintain their unfounded beliefs despite lack of solid evidence. Possibly these are the same aliens who are also shown to be [[2573: Alien Mission|credulous regarding cryptids]]. They reflect the situation of (human) UFO believers, who maintain their beliefs despite the absence of evidence. The aliens also maintain their beliefs in such tenuous observations, despite even the depicted aliens ''themselves'' maintaining that those other events were nothing to do with them. (Though human presumptions about the existence of aliens would, as it turns out, be shown to be correct in cases such as this particular encounter.)

The title text reports that the extraterrestrials have had no better luck finding evidence for {{w|Chemtrail conspiracy theory|conspiracy theories about "chemtrails"}} ({{w|Contrails|vapor trails}}) than have humans. Chemtrails are supposed clouds of gas deployed by commercial airplanes, which are used to mind-control the population or in some way alter the human population or the environment (depending on who you ask). They have [[966|been]] [[1677|mentioned]] [[2654|before]] on xkcd.

This strip was released on {{w|World UFO Day|World UFO Day}}.

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

:[Cueball is standing. There are two spaceships shaped like flying saucers in the sky above him. A voice comes from the spaceship on the right.]
:Cueball: But you '''''know''''' aliens exist!
:Voice from spaceship: Yeah, but these reports describe fast-moving objects with capabilities far beyond anything we possess!
:Voice from spaceship: It would be foolish not to investigate!

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Annoyingly, the aliens turned out to be really into UFO conspiracy theories.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Aliens]]
[[Category:Conspiracy theory]]

2937: Room Code

2024-05-27T17:00:19Z

162.158.175.99: Undo revision 343085 by 172.69.7.175 (talk) Those are prime factors already. No need to combine them.

{{comic
| number = 2937
| date = May 24, 2024
| title = Room Code
| image = room_code_2x.png
| imagesize = 650x290px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Sorry to make you memorize this random string of digits. If it helps, it can also double as a mnemonic for remembering your young relatives' birthdays, if they happened to have been born on February 5th, 2018.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a SIX-DIGIT HOTEL ROOM CODE - Please change this comment when editing this page.}}

Cueball and Megan are on vacation or otherwise traveling, and receive a code for their hotel room. Megan gives a seemingly nonsensical and unhelpful {{w|mnemonic}} by which Cueball can remember it... which, inexplicably, actually ''helps'' Cueball to remember the code. Cueball becomes VERY angry on realizing this.

The first three {{w|prime numbers}} are actually 2, 3, and 5. So this technique easily identifies the first two digits "02". "05" is slightly wrong because it's not the second prime number; it's the third. And "18" is even more wrong because it's not actually a prime number; it's 2 × 3 × 3.

So the mnemonic itself doesn't really provide the method for remembering the code. Instead, figuring out how to apply the bogus mnemonic will reinforce your memory of the code. Unless you actually happen to be really bad at prime numbers and panicked while remembering them, in which case the bad mnemonic actually... helps?! Why is your memory like this?!

The title text points out that the code is also similar to a date in MMDDYY format, so if you happen to have a relative who was born on February 5th 2018, the memorized code will help you remember this date if using said date format. It is also a valid date in the DDMMYY format but in that case it would be the 2nd of May 2018, or in YYMMDD format, in which case it refers to 18th of May 2002.

==Transcript==
:[Megan is standing next to Cueball, who is holding a phone or a note in his hand. Each one has a suitcase on the out-facing side of them.]
:Cueball: Okay, I need to remember that the room code is 020518.

:[Closeup on Megan who has her palm raised.]
:Megan: Easy -- just memorize it as "the first three prime numbers, if you realized you couldn't remember what came after 2 and started to panic and get them increasingly wrong."

:[Beat panel of Megan and Cueball standing with no border.]

:[Megan and Cueball still standing.]
:Megan: ...Are you mad because that actually works?
:Cueball: '''''Why is memory like this?'''''

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Math]]