explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:2481: 1991 and 2021

2021-06-28T12:25:14Z

162.158.203.15: Added an argument on the "a laser law wouldn't be needed" point of contention

It's 7:12p and I'm on android at m.xkcd.com . There is no alt text, and the "see also" link directs back to the same page. The comic is fun though, people will be thinking about time travel as technology takes off. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.179|162.158.62.179]] 23:14, 25 June 2021 (UTC)
:There is no title-text on firefox on PC either. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.79.59|162.158.79.59]] 23:16, 25 June 2021 (UTC)
::The title text is botched. Instead the comic is wrapped in an <code>a</code> (hyperlink) element: <code><a href=""Oh, and our computers all have cameras now, which is nice during the pandemic lockdowns." "The WHAT.""></code>. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.152|141.101.98.152]] 23:24, 25 June 2021 (UTC)
:::I reckon the backend interface for posting a comic must have a field for the title text and a field for the "see also" link, and someone put the text in the wrong field. Easy mistake to make, hopefully fixed soon. -- [[User:Peregrine|Peregrine]] ([[User talk:Peregrine|talk]]) 02:33, 26 June 2021 (UTC)

Wasn't the federal no lasers pointed at airplanes law was in acted to prevent laser guided missile attacks against airlines? Not laser attacks in general? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.129.136|172.68.129.136]] 01:24, 26 June 2021 (UTC)
:Sure, someone may have suggested that, but the truth is that anyone who has access to guided missiles (IE state-level actors and military forces) isn't going to be bound by federal law anyway [[User:Defaultdotxbe|Defaultdotxbe]] ([[User talk:Defaultdotxbe|talk]]) 02:37, 26 June 2021 (UTC)
::My thoughts too. At first I took it as White Hat thinking that there were military attacks with lasers capable of shooting down planes… but a federal law against that would, as you say, not be heeded by those doing such things. On reflection I decided that White Hat is envisioning that ordinary citizens have laser guns and have taken to shooting them at planes, the way road signs get shot at by ordinary guns in reality. -- [[User:Peregrine|Peregrine]] ([[User talk:Peregrine|talk]]) 02:46, 26 June 2021 (UTC)
:In short, '''no'''. 18 USC §39A, the federal law criminalizing the pointing of laser pointers at airplanes, was not enacted to prevent missile attacks against airlines. It was enacted to help combat kids (and others) causing real injury to airline personnel in what they thought were harmless pranks (they're not harmless). [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 03:46, 26 June 2021 (UTC)

It's interesting that Mr. 2021 summarizes the entire Internet/World Wide Web with "it's really easy to send news stories to your friends". The Internet certainly existed in 1991, but the advancement in that area over 30 years is pretty significant. I'm not sure how I would sum that up to someone from 30 years ago in a single comic panel, but I think it would come out differently than what we see here. [[User:Orion205|Orion205]] ([[User talk:Orion205|talk]]) 03:57, 26 June 2021 (UTC)
:I saw the ratio of advertisements with www.foo.com in it rise only at the end of the 90s which was when the Internet started to get mainstream adoption. Before Google, it was not so easy to find relevant content with Altavista and friends. [[User:Bmwiedemann|Bmwiedemann]] ([[User talk:Bmwiedemann|talk]]) 20:31, 26 June 2021 (UTC)
::Don't confuse the Internet with the Web, though. With searchable access to alt.your.fetish.or.hobby on a usenet feed, a curated FAQ (or general conversation) could make you aware of ftp.hobbyfetish.org.au, or whatever wherewithall you needed to telnet directly to the FetishHobbyBBS. Or vice-versa if you'd started on a FIDONet connection. (Then there was the AOL Keyword approach, where you had such an ISP with such a USP and an acceptably obvious hobby/fetish.) Before Tim Berners-Lee (and whoever did Gopher, etc), plus the time needed to get into your prefered era of AskVistaGoogleDuck, the connectivity was there - just a little less automated and only ''hugely'' beyond a single person actually knowing everything they could connect to, rather than totally mind-blowingly so... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.105|162.158.158.105]] 00:05, 28 June 2021 (UTC)

It's not so much the range of cordless phones that is of significant change, but the computing power inside the phone that made the most advancement since 1991. Phones at that time could only make phone calls! Texting didn't become available until 1992 and games and everything else we do on them was later. To me "range" means the connection range which improved a lot, but is still not as signficant as "range of use" [[User:Rtanenbaum|Rtanenbaum]] ([[User talk:Rtanenbaum|talk]]) 12:17, 26 June 2021 (UTC)
:Does "cordless phones" refer to cellphones? That's the "wireless" industry. Cordless phones are landline phone handsets that don't have a cord connecting them to the wall, and he's talking about the distance they can be from the base station. Mentioning these is a joke because so many people have cut the cord entirely, abandoning their landlines in favor of just using cellphones. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 12:59, 26 June 2021 (UTC)
:That's what I wondered too. I would assume the comic is referring to cordless phones in the sense of landline phone handsets, not cellphones, if just because the coverage range of these phones '''has''' increased, whereas the opposite is true for cellphones. With 2G, you can get coverage up to 35km from the base station, whereas with 4G this is reduced to about 16km. There is effectively more cellphone coverage nowadays because there are more base stations, not because the coverage works at longer range. [[User:Zoid42|Zoid42]] ([[User talk:Zoid42|talk]]) 02:28, 27 June 2021 (UTC)
::I agree, & the assertion that ''cellphones'' have increased in range since '91 would be amusing, if it weren't so incorrect as to represent harmful disinformation. (Ironic, given the topic...) I have edited the explanation to make the situation clearer, but that paragraph is now overly long & contains several run-on sentences: The explanation would read better if split into coherent sections for each of the four changes Cueball described.
::[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 17:56, 27 June 2021 (UTC)
:The computing power inside the phone would definitely sound significant in 1992 ; I suspect it would be comparable to top supercomputers of that time. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 00:10, 27 June 2021 (UTC)

This is the second time Cueball travels from within the Covid-19 pandemic to visit White Hat [[2280]]. Is there any comic where White Hat interacts with pangolins, bats, or China? Even though Cueball is vaccinated by now, he might be a carrier [[User:Ruffy314|Ruffy314]] ([[User talk:Ruffy314|talk]]) 22:46, 26 June 2021 (UTC)
:That field around Cueball might mean he's not physically here ; maybe it's not possible to transfer matter into past, just information. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 00:10, 27 June 2021 (UTC)
::Black Hat: "Here wear this shirt when you project back."
Cueball: 'Why? What does it say above that big block of code?'
Black Hat: "'Reproduce this RNA sequence for a cool surprise!'"
::[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 17:56, 27 June 2021 (UTC)

I disagree with the assertion added by [[Special:Contributions/172.69.35.193|172.69.35.193]] ([[User_talk:172.69.35.193|talk]]):
:'A moment of thought would make it clear that the "laser attack" is unlikely to damage the plane directly, because if it did, no new law would be needed.'
Something being criminal under an existing law does ''not'' mean no new law is needed or will be passed. Maybe the existing penalty wasn't deemed sufficient. Maybe the law had loopholes not foreseen until the new technology appeared. Or maybe Congress just wanted to be seen to be doing something. There are many reasons why new laws can and have been passed to combat (the comic's word) something that's already not legal. Does anyone have thoughts to add? -- [[User:Peregrine|Peregrine]] ([[User talk:Peregrine|talk]]) 10:45, 28 June 2021 (UTC)
: I agree, that addition should be removed. [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 11:03, 28 June 2021 (UTC)
:I'd like to add that the law Cueball references is only supposed to "combat" laser attacks, not necessarily outlaw them. I interpret this in the same way that one might outlaw firearms in order to "combat" mass shootings, or legislating TSA checks to "combat" bombings - both of which are already very illegal. So in Whitehats imagination, a law passed to "combat laser attacks on airliners" might be something like background checks on lasgun owners (deemed necessary because of frequent attacks). This law would be (arguagbly) "needed", even though the attacks themselves are already illegal. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.203.15|162.158.203.15]] 12:25, 28 June 2021 (UTC)

Talk:978: Citogenesis

2021-06-04T10:11:31Z

162.158.203.15:

Bonus points if the editor citing the work is also the person who created the fake source!'''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 06:59, 2 February 2013 (UTC)

The title text is not addressed in the explanation. I've read some popular science books, but they do not seem to suffer the problem cited there. Maybe there's a particular brand of pop science that is very susceptible to that sort of problem? --[[User:Quicksilver|Quicksilver]] ([[User talk:Quicksilver|talk]]) 17:48, 17 August 2013 (UTC)
:We probably never will know, but as the comic itself says: Google is your friend! I found a nice story at the [http://forums.xkcd.com/viewtopic.php?t=76475 xkcd forum] belonging to the German minister {{w|Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg}}. I have added this to the trivia section.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 12:00, 18 August 2013 (UTC)

On a more amusing note, it is impossible to actually verify half of the obscure references on Wikipedia, as they are often magazines or books unlikely to be kept by typical libraries. One could easily fake an obscure reference if you know of a book with a title that seemingly pertains to the subject matter, but you know that the book had a printing run of less then 10,000 copies.
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.63|108.162.215.63]] 18:09, 14 May 2014 (UTC)

Note however, that this would only work if the information is so obscure that there are no conflicting sources.
[[User:Benjaminikuta|Benjaminikuta]] ([[User talk:Benjaminikuta|talk]]) 21:26, 10 February 2017 (UTC)

On a less amusing note it costs 30 dollars/pounds/euros to get a copy of a scientific article that may or may not be useful for journalists that may or may not have free access to said data. Or you could get a pirated copy of it from a suicidal source and have the FBI come after you instead.[[User:Weatherlawyer| I used Google News BEFORE it was clickbait]] ([[User talk:Weatherlawyer|talk]]) 13:24, 22 January 2015 (UTC)

This article doesn't actually explain the self-sustaining cycle that is the point of the article. It references citogenesis and where the word was derived, and references wikipedia. None of that explains the "fake article" -> "news writer references article" -> "wiki editor adds citation of news writer" -> "fake article referenced in other news". [[User:Cflare|Cflare]] ([[User talk:Cflare|talk]]) 18:56, 9 September 2014 (UTC)

Actually in the comic, citogenesis looks very similar to cyclogenesis.[[User:Weatherlawyer| I used Google News BEFORE it was clickbait]] ([[User talk:Weatherlawyer|talk]]) 13:24, 22 January 2015 (UTC)

What happened to the "portmanteau" in paragraph 2? [[User:SilverMagpie|SilverMagpie]] ([[User talk:SilverMagpie|talk]]) 22:41, 3 January 2017 (UTC)
:Never mind, I fixed it. [[User:SilverMagpie|SilverMagpie]] ([[User talk:SilverMagpie|talk]]) 22:42, 3 January 2017 (UTC)

I'm curious if the doubled "was" in the first panel was an intentional "easter egg" of the kind of carelessness that may be typical of somebody vandalizing Wikipedia with fake information, or if it was unintentional on Randall's part. Perhaps we'll never know. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.63.123|172.69.63.123]] 19:47, 12 October 2020 (UTC)

An example I once encountered of a much sloppier attempt at citogenesis: the article for a small, unincorporated community, near where I grew up claimed that [place] "is home to the art of cheddar winking." It cited a book that did not exist, whose ISBN number was for the Book of Mormon. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.48.150|172.69.48.150]] 13:40, 26 February 2021 (UTC)
: Another, slightly more prominent example was that a German politician [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl-Theodor_zu_Guttenberg Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg] who carries 10 given names. An unknown editor managed to slip an 11th given name into the list: Wilhelm. At first it was reverted, because there was no source. The unknown editor reverted it back. A slightly careful writer checked Wikipedia just in time to see the "Wilhelm" and took it at face value. Many other careless writers followed, some even claimed that Guttenberg would give his full name in interviews and include Wilhelm in the list (obviously those interviews never happened and were just fabricted). Which in turn then was used as a reference ("Google is your friend, people!") for the Wikipedia article. Took some time to get the false name out of the article. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.203.15|162.158.203.15]] 10:11, 4 June 2021 (UTC)

Talk:2468: Inheritance

2021-05-27T01:45:01Z

162.158.203.15:

Does anyone feel this is kind of a reference to feudalism?[[Special:Contributions/172.69.71.88|172.69.71.88]] 19:16, 26 May 2021 (UTC)
:Seems more like commentary on modern-day capitalism, particularly in the US with increasing inequality and more and more inherited wealth. Randall seems more comfortable with social commentary in recent years.[[User:DKMell|DKMell]] ([[User talk:DKMell|talk]]) 18:41, 26 May 2021 (UTC)
:In 2019 and 2020, the [https://www.edelman.com/trust Edelman Trust Barometer] cited CEOs as the most trusted persons globally. Your company is your castle, with its leader your Lord. That trust collapsed per the 2021 Barometer, so just maybe resistance is not feudal.[[Special:Contributions/172.68.129.132|172.68.129.132]] 18:50, 26 May 2021 (UTC)

Might be related to the rise of legacy board games, in which outcomes of prior matches influence future games. Usually, those have a limited number of plays and they are designed such that prior winner's don't have too much of an advantage in future games. But one could imagine a game that, (if it has no limit to the number of plays), after being played for generations gives a significant advantage to whomever inherited a specific character/player role. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.94.234|162.158.94.234]] 14:21, 26 May 2021 (UTC) Tobl

Obligatory reminder to everybody that (1) life is not a competition and (2) money is not "victory points". There are ways to cynically portray these things as such, but fully buying into this paradigm inevitably results in profound unhappiness. mezimm [[Special:Contributions/172.69.71.178|172.69.71.178]] 14:54, 26 May 2021 (UTC)

This one was pretty early... maybe Randall’s getting back to schedule? --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.132.119|172.68.132.119]] 15:14, 26 May 2021 (UTC)

Anyone notice anything special about 4000000 and 10019, also what is arigola

:Agricola is a board game [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agricola_(board_game) LINK] [[Special:Contributions/172.68.102.194|172.68.102.194]] 15:37, 26 May 2021 (UTC)

:I'm thinking 10019 means Cueball allocated 10000 points from his inheritance, then earned 19 through the course of the game. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.142.160|162.158.142.160]] 16:44, 26 May 2021 (UTC)

huh. ive never seen a comic explanation finished so quickly in a bit! we sure about removing that tag?

I feel like this is very much a criticism of modern day (colonial) capitalism. It's both concisely stating that the disparity is absurd, that small donations from billionaires are laughable and dont change the inherent unfairness, and implies that the best way of leveling the playing field is to wiping the slate.

The title text references the pro- colonial argument that engaging in exploitation is being smart, because it was bound to be done by somebody, so the perpetrators are smart for taking initiative. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.203.15|162.158.203.15]] 01:45, 27 May 2021 (UTC)

: Can someone create a [[:Category:Board games]]? [[:Category:Chess]] should be subcategory of this category, and this comic, and [[1566: Board Game]], [[492: Scrabble]], [[839: Explorers]], [[778: Scheduling]], [[738: Incision]] can be added to it. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.35.39|172.69.35.39]] 18:48, 26 May 2021 (UTC)
:: Created the category, however I'm not brave enough to put Chess into it. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 00:51, 27 May 2021 (UTC)

2462: NASA Award

2021-05-13T05:16:52Z

162.158.203.15: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2462
| date = May 11, 2021
| title = NASA Award
| image = nasa_award.png
| titletext = The key to discovering life on Mars is to find someone who built a camera and landed it on Mars. Then you just look through the pictures for plants and dogs and stuff.
}}

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

This comic jabs at poorly-supported claims of discovering alien life. Rocks make for poor prizes as they make for poor evidence, and looking from different angles is of no use for either.

The title text may be using linguistic ambiguity: the discovery mentioned occurs on Mars, rather than life being there. (The discovering entity is probably a robot, as a human astronaut would likely be aware of 1) their own existence and 2) the existence of other living things.{{Citation needed}}). It also pokes fun at borrowing a stranger's camera and seeing all the pictures they've taken before.

An alternative interpretation for the title text is that it is lampooning the simplistic notion that life on Mars would be detected by looking at photos at all. In reality, all extraterrestrial life (in this solar system at least) is almost certainly microscopic. The notion of detecting it by studying photos of the Martian surface is just as absurd as the idea of looking at the photos and expecting to see dogs and trees and other familiar macroscopic lifeforms.

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

:[Cueball, Ponytail, Hairy, and Megan stand on a platform. Ponytail and Hairy are elevated further on another platform placed on top of the first]
:[Ponytail holds a necklace with a rock attached to the end, offering it to Hairy]
:Ponytail: We're honored to present you with this Nobel Prize!
:Hairy: That's just a rock.
:Ponytail: Yeah, but from a certain angle...

:[Caption beneath the panel]:
:NASA has a new award for people on the internet who claim to find life in their Mars photos.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Space]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]

Talk:356: Nerd Sniping

2021-04-19T03:46:13Z

162.158.203.15: pointing out that the grid is a special case of a more general problem

Just because the problem contains an infinite series (or parallel) doesn't mean that it's unsolvable. It's tricky, certainly, and getting the "true" answer involves some rather heavy math, but it's not impossible. Indeed, Google shows that it's already been answered. [[Special:Contributions/76.122.5.96|76.122.5.96]] 20:42, 20 September 2012 (UTC)

I've always had an issue with this problem for one simple reason. In an infinite set of resistors, there is no space to apply a charge, thus there is no resistance. Ohm's law states Resistance = Voltage / I(current). So, in a system where there is no current (creating a divide by zero error), and there is no voltage (no change in electron work capacity, because we don't have a way to excite the electrons, because there is no power) Resistance is incalculable. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 22:22, 20 September 2012 (UTC)
:We live in 3 dimensions, just place a battery above the grid with wires going to the 2 points. --[[Special:Contributions/84.197.34.154|84.197.34.154]] 22:59, 24 October 2012 (UTC)
::Not everybody does... --[[Special:Contributions/85.159.196.14|FlatlandDweller]] 11:08, 15 November 2012 (UTC)
::: baDumpBump! [[Special:Contributions/172.68.142.89|172.68.142.89]] 16:22, 28 June 2018 (UTC)
::I believe the OP is referencing the issue that an infinite circuit could not hold a current. Connecting a battery would only work for a finite grid. In addition, the orientation of the battery in physical space has no relation to its behavior in a circuit, only the points of connection matter. Think about what the battery is doing to generate a current. How does electric potential apply over an infinite grid? Even moving it through a magnetic field won't work as the flux will be uniform across each cross section. You can't rotate an infinite grid either...{{unsigned|Flewk}}
: This is an idealized version of the general problem of determining the resistance between two points in a volume of some material. Like, say, two electrode tips in a liquid electrolyte? Getting a mathematically exact solution in this situation requires integrating over an infinity of paths, even when the liquid volume is finite. Add in the fact that there are no perfect insulators, and you'll have to consider arbitrarily long paths, too. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.203.15|162.158.203.15]] 03:46, 19 April 2021 (UTC)

Just crocodidoodle the battery to the pencil lines as and where required for an infinity of varieteediddly.[[User:Weatherlawyer| I used Google News BEFORE it was clickbait]] ([[User talk:Weatherlawyer|talk]]) 18:51, 20 January 2015 (UTC)

This problem is "unsolvable" only if you try to just use the basic methods for finite networks.
There is a page on this at [http://mathpages.com/home/kmath668/kmath668.htm http://mathpages.com/home/kmath668/kmath668.htm] that reports that the cited points have a resistance of '''4/pi - 1/2''' ohms (.773234... ohms).
The 1/2 ohm resistance between adjacent nodes is actually well known.
[[User:Divad27182|Divad27182]] ([[User talk:Divad27182|talk]]) 05:05, 5 October 2012 (UTC)

Solution here as well: http://mathworld.wolfram.com/news/2004-10-13/google/ [[User:Potie15|Potie15]] ([[User talk:Potie15|talk]]) 03:50, 18 March 2013 (UTC)

Nowhere it is said that the problem is unsolvable, just that it is interesting. Of course, the sniping is more effective if the problem is also difficult to solve, because otherwise the victim would get over it quickly. [[User:Dargor17|Dargor17]] ([[User talk:Dargor17|talk]]) 17:47, 16 June 2013 (UTC)

That method for parallel resistors is wrong. You don't divide resistances by the number of paths, you sum the reciprocals and then take the reciprocal of that. The method described only works if every resistor has the same value. While that's true in this problem, it's misleading to pass that off as a method that works for all cases. --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.55.60|173.245.55.60]] 03:32, 1 April 2014 (UTC)
:Good point. I made some slight alterations to clarify that we are assuming the resistors are equal. It seems a better solution than getting into the more complex version of the problem. --[[User:BlueMoonlet|BlueMoonlet]] ([[User talk:BlueMoonlet|talk]]) 12:20, 1 April 2014 (UTC)

The real question is: why did the physicist cross the road? --[[User:Alcatraz ii|Alcatraz ii]] ([[User talk:Alcatraz ii|talk]]) 00:53, 29 September 2014 (UTC)

Amazing. From the first comment the discussion is diverted from discussing the comic, to discussing the problem presented in the comic. The commentators have been nerd sniped by a demonstration of nerd sniping. Randall is just that good. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.86|108.162.216.86]] 17:55, 30 April 2014 (UTC)

"Sniping" might also be a pun or have a deliberately dual meaning in this context, referring to both a sniper and a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snipe_hunt snipe hunt] (do kids still practice the latter?). The former makes sense if Black Hat's purpose is to actually rid the world of physics and math nerds (consistent with his characteristic misanthropy and cynicism), but the latter also fits the theme of merely distracting a nerd with an impossible task, which the title text suggests may have been Randall's motivation for the strip. (On a side note, the Wikipedia article reveals that the terms sniper and snipe hunt have a common origin, which makes twice in the last month it's resolved a long-standing etymological puzzle for me. The other case united the multiple, seemingly unrelated meanings of minute <nowiki>["tiny" vs. time]</nowiki> and second <nowiki>[ordinal vs. time]</nowiki>; see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexagesimal#Notation sexagesimal].) [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.182|173.245.54.182]] 01:40, 18 June 2014 (UTC)

I've been led to believe that 'minute' means 'tiny amount of time', 'second' is 'secondary tiny amount of time', and , I quote "Real snipe (a family of shorebirds) are difficult to catch for experienced hunters, so much so that the word "sniper" is derived from it to refer to anyone skilled enough to shoot one." from the snipe hunt wiki page. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.4|141.101.104.4]] 23:45, 27 September 2014 (UTC)

Why doesn't someone solder together a thousand one ohm resistors into a grid then use an ohmmeter to measure the resistance? Then repeat with smaller and smaller grids to see if there's any effect on the measurement. If the resistance does not change, or at least doesn't change until the grid size gets quite small, then the "infinite" term in the problem is a 'red herring' to mislead. Pointless, useless, irrelevant etc information in problems is a common tactic for gauging the ability to recognize and reject such data. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.133.122|199.27.133.122]] 00:35, 18 November 2014 (UTC)

Incidentally, should this page mention that what if 113 (I don't know how to do links, sorry) contains a picture of this comic? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.65|108.162.216.65]] 23:36, 24 February 2015 (UTC)
:Yes I will do so. Have just referred to another what if where he is mentioning nerd sniping. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:40, 16 February 2016 (UTC)

[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.34|141.101.98.34]] 12:17, 22 May 2015 (UTC) Am I the only one concerned with the fact that this poor guy was still on a crosswalk? The truck should have stopped. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.34|141.101.98.34]] 12:17, 22 May 2015 (UTC)
:No you are not, and good point --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:40, 16 February 2016 (UTC)

When the number of parallel resistors increase, the equivalent resistance decreases. So, in an infinite grid, wouldn't it approach zero? [[User:UrubuSelvagem|UrubuSelvagem]] ([[User talk:UrubuSelvagem|talk]]) 03:43, 28 September 2015 (UTC)
:They are also in series. For each parallel group, there is, in fact a corresponding group in series.

It is not directly relevant to the discussion of the comic, but this needs to be posted here. Perhaps the best nerd snipe ever actually achieved and a nearly perfect match for the comic (my professor put it in the lecture notes for my group theory class):
"Coxeter came to Cambridge and he gave a lecture, then he had this problem ... I left the lecture room thinking. As I was walking through Cambridge, suddenly the idea hit me, but it hit me while I was in the middle of the road. When the idea hit me I stopped and a large truck ran into me ... So I pretended that Coxeter had calculated the difficulty of this problem so precisely that he knew that I would get the solution just in the middle of the road ... One consequence of it is that in a group if a^2=b^3=c^5= (abc)^-1, then c^610=1."
(J.H. Conway, Math. Intelligencer v. 23 no. 2 (2001))
I did a search, and the entire passage can be read [https://books.google.ca/books?id=aFHyUfFUVIwC&pg=PA22&lpg=PA22&dq=Coxeter+came+to+Cambridge+and+he+gave+a+lecture,+then+he+had+this+problem+...++Ileft+the+lecture+room+thinking.+As+I+was+walking+through+Cambridge,+suddenly+theidea+hit+me,++but+it+hit+me+while+I+was+in+the+middle+of+the+road.++When+the+ideahit+me+I+stopped+and+a+large+truck+ran+into+me+...++So+I+pretended+that+Coxeter+hadcalculated+the+difficulty+of+this+problem+so+precisely+that+he+knew+that+I+would+getthe+solution+just+in+the+middle+of+the+roa&source=bl&ots=CgmxTG2n0w&sig=ohqqBGtJrpuQFeiCPPusMVsQUV4&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CB0Q6AEwAGoVChMIy4KdnPakyAIV0ZeICh2OGghP#v=onepage&q=Coxeter%20came%20to%20Cambridge%20and%20he%20gave%20a%20lecture%2C%20then%20he%20had%20this%20problem%20...%20%20Ileft%20the%20lecture%20room%20thinking.%20As%20I%20was%20walking%20through%20Cambridge%2C%20suddenly%20theidea%20hit%20me%2C%20%20but%20it%20hit%20me%20while%20I%20was%20in%20the%20middle%20of%20the%20road.%20%20When%20the%20ideahit%20me%20I%20stopped%20and%20a%20large%20truck%20ran%20into%20me%20...%20%20So%20I%20pretended%20that%20Coxeter%20hadcalculated%20the%20difficulty%20of%20this%20problem%20so%20precisely%20that%20he%20knew%20that%20I%20would%20getthe%20solution%20just%20in%20the%20middle%20of%20the%20roa&f=false here] perhaps it is even possible that this event is the inspiration for this comic? The inclusion of the "large truck" is almost too perfect. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.240.217|108.162.240.217]] 23:45, 2 October 2015 (UTC)
:I have now added this story in a new trivia section. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:40, 16 February 2016 (UTC)

I know a solution that use random walks. :) {{unsigned ip|141.101.95.153}}

I really like this comic. It says a lot about Black Hat, but so much more about Randall :-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:40, 16 February 2016 (UTC)

So, *that's* how they did Gaudi in! I always suspected a plot; now I see the method. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.142.89|172.68.142.89]] 16:30, 28 June 2018 (UTC)

Talk:2447: Hammer Incident

2021-04-08T14:31:44Z

162.158.203.15:

big --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.187.153|162.158.187.153]] 02:04, 8 April 2021 (UTC)

I added a basic explanation. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.212.224|162.158.212.224]] 02:28, 8 April 2021 (UTC)

Do we really need a huge paragraph explaining all the reasons why any damage to a space telescope is a big, expensive deal? And I'm not sure this is a trial, it's probably more like an administrative panel hearing (like the hearings after the Challenger disaster). [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 14:26, 8 April 2021 (UTC)

== Giant comic ==

Is it meant to be that size? Does the bad luck apply to trying to upload comics at reasonable sizes?
: It's fixed now
[[Special:Contributions/172.69.33.19|172.69.33.19]] 02:09, 8 April 2021 (UTC)
:Oooh boy, indeed... "Error creating thumbnail: File with dimensions greater than 12.5 MP" is the Wiki's assessment of the auto-uploaded image. I haven't checked the resolution, but the https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/hammer_incident.png one is apparently 4332x4838 (scales to 8% on my device), and I don't care to test the _2x version right now. I'm not sure that was the native res of it on creation, looks to be an accidental up-scaling prior to posting to xkcd itself. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.6|141.101.98.6]] 02:20, 8 April 2021 (UTC)
:
::The _2x version is actually the proper size for a normal comic - 578x645 pixels. [[User:Noëlle|Noëlle]] ([[User talk:Noëlle|talk]]) 02:21, 8 April 2021 (UTC)
:::Still seems larger than normal to me, even the 2x seems larger than I would expect. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.78|172.69.34.78]] 04:02, 8 April 2021 (UTC)
:Maybe the extra-large image is what the original looks like using the James Webb telescope? Maybe over-thinking. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.132.145|172.68.132.145]] 04:19, 8 April 2021 (UTC)
::Or perhaps its an resolution/aspect ratio/zoom factor difference between it and the old telescope. Implying all other comics have secretly been placed in front of the other telescope [[Special:Contributions/172.69.170.50|172.69.170.50]] 04:56, 8 April 2021 (UTC)
:Perhaps overthinking, if the main reflecting mirror was actually destroyed, the light entering the telescope would never be focused into the secondary mirror and the image would be "light size" so you would only be able to see a small portion of what you expect

:It looks to me that, while most of the text is rendered smoothly in full resolution, the caption below the panel ("Man, NASA is really on my case about the James Webb Space Telescope.") is very jaggy on a pixel level, but only on the Y-axis. There could be quite a bit of information in there. No idea what it means, though. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.77.36|141.101.77.36]] 07:29, 8 April 2021 (UTC)
::It could be floating-point errors that indicate the code flow of the renderer Randall used. Or it could mean anything else. Curious to compare it to a correct rendering of that text with the same font, but wouldn't know what to do with the vector of edge differences myself. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.63.140|162.158.63.140]] 09:03, 8 April 2021 (UTC)

:It seems to be fixed now so I am sure it was an accident

== inspiration ==

When I read this comic I was worried it might have been inspired by recent news of something breaking during the final assembly process. Fortunately this seems not to be the case. Among the many delays of the telescope, were any of them caused by mirror and/or cryo failures that might have inspired this comic? [[User:Quantum7|Quantum7]] ([[User talk:Quantum7|talk]]) 05:53, 8 April 2021 (UTC)
:What caused the most recent delay? It seems it's been pushed forward more as Randall predicted in the other comic. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.63.140|162.158.63.140]] 09:03, 8 April 2021 (UTC)

== Cryogenic? ==

I get the sense that the title text is inspired by liquid nitrogen ice cream. -- [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.252|108.162.237.252]] 13:14, 8 April 2021 (UTC)

== Actual hammering applied to JWST ==

As Quantum7, I was worried too and googled "JWST hammer" only to find this actual contributor to the project…
The Hammers Company, Inc. Greenbelt, MD in this list:
: https://www.jwst.nasa.gov/content/meetTheTeam/team.html
Not all JWST-engineering seams to be that delicate – should we be worried?

426: Geohashing

2021-03-19T19:30:29Z

162.158.203.15: /* Trivia */ Update; the wiki has been back online since February 2020

{{comic
| number = 426
| date = May 21, 2008
| title = Geohashing
| image = geohashing.png
| titletext = Saturday is game night
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Geocaching}} is a sport where you have to find things hidden by other people based on geographical coordinates. Randall has had a similar idea before in [[201: Christmas GPS]].

[http://wiki.xkcd.com/geohashing/ Geohashing] is a sport created by Randall based on reaching a random location determined by an [http://wiki.xkcd.com/geohashing/Algorithm algorithm] that uses a {{w|hash function}} that involves the current date, location, and the {{w|Dow Jones Industrial Average|Dow}} opening price. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is a {{w|stock market index}} dealt in New York City.

The algorithm is built in a way that:
*Makes it impossible to plan a meeting in advance - because of the Dow.
*Changes every day.
*Gathers people who are nearby - everyone within the same 1°×1° grid square gets the same position.

The algorithm works as follows:
# Take the current date in the format yyyy-mm-dd- and append the most recent opening value for the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
# Pass this string through the MD5 algorithm.
# Divide the hash value into two 16 character halves, and convert each half to a decimal.
# Take the integer portions of your current coordinates and append the decimal hash values.

{{w|MD5}} is a cryptographic hashing algorithm, and converts plaintext data into a seemingly random 128-bit (32 character) string. A good hashing algorithm should have three main properties: it is non-reversible, you cannot generate any plaintext data back from the hash, and a given sample of data will always produce the same hash value, but even a tiny change to the original plaintext should produce an entirely different hash.

The example co-ordinates are for the Google headquarters in California, as you can see here: [https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=37.421542+-122.085589&aq=&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=73.209607,135.263672&vpsrc=0&ie=UTF8&t=m&z=17&iwloc=A 37.421542 -122.085589]. The example date, May 26 2005, may reference the fact that the first edition of the Dow came out on May 26.

While geohashing was originally intended as a joke, there are people who geohash regularly. Please see the link to the xkcd wiki above.

The title text may imply that people should bring games to their geohashing location on the Saturday following the comic's release.

==Transcript==
:Date (example): 2005-05-26
:That date's (or most recent) DOW opening: 10458.68
:[Concatenate, with a hyphen: 2005-05-26-10458.68]
:md5: db9318c2259923d08b672cb305440f97
:[Split it up into two pieces:]
:0.db9318c2259923d0, 0.8b672cb305440f97
:To decimal: 0.857713..., 0.544544...
:Your location (example): 37.421542, -122.085589
:[Combine integer part of location with fractional part of hash:]
:Destination Coordinates: 37.857713, -122.544544
:Sample Implementation: <nowiki>http://xkcd.com/geohashing/</nowiki>

==Trivia==
* In response to comic [[353: Python]], the Python developers implemented the module <code>antigravity</code> in version 2.7+. This module contains a reference geohashing function.
* Due to the 2019 hacking of the XKCD forum server, which the Geohashing wiki was also hosted at, the wiki was unavailable until February 2020. It is since back online under the new domain of [http://geohashing.site geohashing.site].

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Stock Market]]

2437: Post-Vaccine Party

2021-03-17T03:18:57Z

162.158.203.15: /* Explanation */ Corrected typo

{{comic
| number = 2437
| date = March 15, 2021
| title = Post-Vaccine Party
| image = post_vaccine_party.png
| titletext = [Future update] Well, someone accidentally dropped an M&M in their cup of ice water, and we all panicked and scattered.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a POST-VACCINE PARTYGOER. Go into further details regarding individual elements of traditional parties vs. this party (maybe make a table?). What happens with the M&M in the water. Color spreading and people thinking someone is sick? Also mention the future part. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This is another comic in a [[:Category:COVID-19|series]] related to the {{w|2019-20 coronavirus outbreak|2020 pandemic}} of the {{w|coronavirus}} {{w|SARS-CoV-2}}, which causes {{w|COVID-19}}.

As more and more people are getting vaccinated against the Covid-19 virus, and as the CDC released guidelines suggesting vaccinated people can start gathering in larger groups, including some groups of unvaccinated people, there is increasing excitement about the possibility to resume get-togethers, and have a party. However, being very cautious, [[Randall]] is detailing the plans for his first "post-pandemic" party by cutting it down from the scope of a normal party. Some of the cut-downs may make sense from a health safety standpoint, others are less likely to be health-based and may be just to deliberately make the party boring, thus limiting attendance, with the effect of it being safer for the few who do come.

* Drinks
Instead of soda and various alcoholic beverages, he's opting for small glasses of water. Alcoholic beverages could encourage a lowering of inhibitions, help some participants to make bad social decisions, to the detriment of hygiene and reasonable social distancing. Soda would have less of that problem, though some might argue the sugar or caffeine might have some similar effect. Drinking alcohol immediately after vaccination may "accelerate" allergic reaction according to an article on WebMD [https://www.webmd.com/vaccines/covid-19-vaccine/news/20210127/covid-19-vaccine-how-best-to-prepare]

* Food
Instead of traditional party foods like pizza, nachos, and snacks, only three individual pieces of candy ({{w|M&Ms}}) and one cracker will be provided. Pizza could be a health issue as people reach into a common pizza box to grab their slice, and likewise snacks if they are in communal bowls. Another possible motive for such meager offerings are the concern that people may have gained weight due to a more sedentary lifestyles while staying home a lot more during the pandemic, so he didn't want them eating a lot of fattening snacks and drinks at his party.

* Entertainment
Instead of music and {{w|karaoke}} singing and watching sports, the only music allowed will be {{w|ambient music}}, such that is would be hardly noticeable, and the only entertainment being displayed will be {{w|Bob Ross}}, who was famous for his very calm, low-key, painting lessons. (Painting could be followed by watching paint dry, one of the few activities even more boring than this party{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}.) Music, singing, and watching exciting sports games can cause a lot more movement and airborne particles with the potential of spreading the virus.

* Activities
Board games, video games, {{w|ping pong}}, and good conversation are already relatively low-key activities, but not low-key enough. The only two games allowed will be 3-card pickup (trimmed down from {{w|52-card pickup}}, which would typically use a full deck of 52 cards), and a single video game, the ancient "{{w|Pong}}" game. Also, while conversation will be allowed, it will not be "good conversation", presumably preferring the conversation to be boring or uninteresting, or even repulsing. It might also be that Randall anticipates the pandemic [[2424|will have worsened peoples' ability to converse normally]], and so is saying that people won't be held to any 'standards' regarding the quality of their conversation.

In the end, despite Randall's efforts, even the incredibly mild disruption of an M&M falling into a cup of water caused the party-goers to panic and flee, much as Cueball and Ponytail panicked at a meeting in spite of their precautions due to their highly-strung natures in [[2330: Acceptable Risk]].

==Transcript==
:[The comic consist of four underlined headings, two by two grid, with three times four and one time three lines of text beneath each. Almost all of the original lines of text has been crossed out with red, sometimes only partial. And five new items have been added in red, plus some brackets and one arrow. Even one of the red texts have been cossed out]
:Drinks
:<s>Soda
:Wine</s> Small cups
:<s>Beer</s> of ice water
:<s>Cocktails</s>

:Food Three M&Ms
:<s>Pizza</s> and a saltine
:<s>Nachos</s> per person
:<s>Various snacks</s>

:Entertainment
:Music (Ambient)
:<s>karaoke
:Big screen</s> TV
:showing <s>sports</s>
:::Bob Ross

:Activities
:<s>Board games</s> <s>52</s> 3-card pickup
:[3 is above 52]
:Video Games
:<s>Ping</s> (Pong)
:[A red arrow points from Video Games to Pong]
:<s>Good</s> conversation

:[Caption below the panel:]
:We're planning our first post-vaccine party, but we want to start slow.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:COVID-19]]
[[Category:Social interactions]]
[[Category:Food]]
[[Category:Sport]]
[[Category:Music]]
[[Category:Video games]]

Talk:1412: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

2021-03-10T14:48:21Z

162.158.203.15:

Looks like they renamed the Wikipedia article mentioned as "Maple Syrup Urine '''Syndrome'''" to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maple_syrup_urine_disease Maple Syrup Urine '''Disease'''].[[User:Keavon|Keavon]] ([[User talk:Keavon|talk]]) 05:03, 25 August 2014 (UTC)

This rythmic sounding has to do with metrical <strike>foots</strike> feet, I think. Maybe someone more into it than I can explain...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foot_%28prosody%29 [[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.164|108.162.229.164]] 05:21, 25 August 2014 (UTC)

: It's just a 4-foot trochaic ("trochaic octameter"?) meter. ^- ^- ^- ^-. Also, I'm curious now, is "foots" the proper plural when discussing meter, or is that just a typo/misunderstanding? [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.150|199.27.128.150]] 06:37, 25 August 2014 (UTC)

:: Oh, right, the plural must be "feet". I just had a brain fart. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.164|108.162.229.164]] 10:23, 25 August 2014 (UTC)

:: It is a trochaic tetrameter. Tetra = 4, octa = 8.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.38|108.162.216.38]] 12:26, 25 August 2014 (UTC)

::: Right, it's number of feet, not number of syllables. My mistake. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.150|199.27.128.150]] 15:04, 25 August 2014 (UTC)

: This one is definitely related: http://xkcd.com/856/ --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.68|141.101.104.68]] 08:08, 25 August 2014 (UTC)

Unless "Gloucester" is two syllables, Randall made a mistake/wanted to see if we're awake.--[[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.224|108.162.246.224]] 06:33, 25 August 2014 (UTC)
:Depending on where you're from, it can be pronounced (quasi-phonetically) as "Glow-ster". [[User:Jarod997|Jarod997]] ([[User talk:Jarod997|talk]]) 13:24, 25 August 2014 (UTC)

: Actually it is. Silly British accents. It's pronounced roughly "Gloss-ter". [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.150|199.27.128.150]] 06:37, 25 August 2014 (UTC)

::In that case, I retract my previous statement and apologize.--[[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.224|108.162.246.224]] 07:20, 25 August 2014 (UTC)

With regards to the roll-over text, mention could be made of the long-running BBC radio show "I'm sorry I haven't a clue" ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%27m_Sorry_I_Haven%27t_A_Clue ). It is comedy panel game, and one of the regular rounds is 'One Song to the Tune of Another'. It may be coincidence, but one panellist of the show is Barry Cryer ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Cryer ) who happened to have recorded Purple People Eater... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.184|141.101.98.184]] 08:26, 25 August 2014 (UTC)

Why isn't Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the list? [[Special:Contributions/103.22.201.120|103.22.201.120]] 11:41, 25 August 2014 (UTC)

There's a typo in "Quantuum vacuum plasma thruster". [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.184|141.101.98.184]] 12:08, 25 August 2014 (UTC)

Dang someone beat me to writing in the transcript. Oh well, you did a much better job than I was doing anyway. =8o) [[User:Jarod997|Jarod997]] ([[User talk:Jarod997|talk]]) 13:24, 25 August 2014 (UTC)

Is it just me, or do these lyrics not REALLY match the TMNT title song? The first three lines are OK, but the following lines just repeats the pattern - the TMNT song has a different rhythm. {{unsigned ip|141.101.98.169}}

:Each title is meant to be sung only to the "TMNT" part of the song. They aren't meant to be sung one after another to match the whole song. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.211|173.245.52.211]] 03:09, 26 August 2014 (UTC)

If you speak with a western US accent like me, museum is pronounced with 2 syllables (myoo zahm). I guess if you pronounce it correctly, its more like myoo-zee-uhm, which would make 'Edgar Allan Poe Museum' fit. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.213|108.162.246.213]] 03:18, 26 August 2014 (UTC)
:Please check with your friends and relations about the pronunciation of museum. All dictionaries show /mjuˈzi.əm/ (myoo-ZEE-um). [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.144|108.162.238.144]] 19:49, 26 August 2014 (UTC)

It's a shame that "Infra Turbo Pigcart Racer" has a syllable too many, because that would've been perfect. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.197|141.101.104.197]] 08:31, 26 August 2014 (UTC)
:What's the extra syllable? I count In-fra Tur-bo Pig-cart Ra-cer. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.144|108.162.238.144]] 19:50, 26 August 2014 (UTC)

Is there any particular need to have a separate section for the wikilinks, rather than just embedding them in the transcript?--[[User:Marcus Hill|Marcus Hill]] ([[User talk:Marcus Hill|talk]]) 09:26, 26 August 2014 (UTC)
:I wouldn't think so - that's how they were originally... [[User:Jarod997|Jarod997]] ([[User talk:Jarod997|talk]]) 13:19, 26 August 2014 (UTC)

This makes me think of "We Didn't Start the Fire" by Billy Joel. {{unsigned ip|108.162.216.150}}

Damnit Monroe, for two reasons: 1. Now this all I can think about whenever I find a phrase that fits the syllable stress pattern, and 2. Why couldn't you have held off until 1413 for this - XKCD fourteen thirteen fits the stress pattern as well. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.204|108.162.250.204]] 06:15, 19 September 2014 (UTC)

I still don't know what the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles theme sounds like, but I can't look at more than one or two of these tetrametric trochees without immediately thinking of the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oysMt8iL9UE Peter Gunn theme] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Gunn_(song)] (which then stays stuck in my head for hours...). —[[User:Scs|Scs]] ([[User talk:Scs|talk]]) 17:25, 24 October 2015 (UTC)

Does anyone know how Randall compiled the list? {{unsigned ip|199.27.129.119}}

;Deleted pages

"Places named for Adolf Hitler" was deleted recently, which makes me wonder, how many other pages on Wikipedia that are linked here were also deleted? {{unsigned ip|108.162.237.135}}

;Missed articles
Is anyone compiling a list of articles that Randall missed, but that fit the rhythm? I can think of at least one: "Random number generator". [[User:Promethean|Promethean]] ([[User talk:Promethean|talk]]) 09:58, 5 August 2017 (UTC)
:I know Béla Viktor János Bartók fits the scheme. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.249|162.158.74.249]] 19:10, 31 October 2019 (UTC)
:"Universal basic income" fits. It's just a redirect and not a proper page though. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.69.206|172.69.69.206]] 19:40, 10 July 2020 (UTC)
:[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FC_Bayern_Munich_(women) FC Bayern Munich (women)] [[Special:Contributions/162.158.203.15|162.158.203.15]] 14:48, 10 March 2021 (UTC)

2432: Manage Your Preferences

2021-03-04T11:41:42Z

162.158.203.15:

{{comic
| number = 2432
| date = March 3, 2021
| title = Manage Your Preferences
| image = manage_your_preferences.png
| titletext = Manage cookies related to essential site functions, such as keeping Atrius and his sons imprisoned within the page.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a GENERAL DATA PROTECTION ROBOT. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic is a play on the confusing cookie settings found on some websites.

The European {{w|General Data Protection Regulation}} (GDPR) and similar laws in other countries require websites to obtain consent from users for placing non-essential cookies on their computer, and to allow the user from opting out of them. Cookies are small data files saved in a web browser that can be used, for example, to recognize the user across different websites. Web advertising agencies often uses such methods to display more targeted ads.

Since more targeted ads make more money, website operators have an interest in the user allowing tracking cookies. They will therefore make the button to allow them big, green and easy to click, while making the opt-out as difficult as legally possible. For example, it could be that the user has to opt out of every tracking cookie separately using "confusingly labeled toggle switches". Randall compares this to {{w|Myst}}, a 1990s puzzle video game. Note that the GDPR states that disapproval should be as easy to choose as rejection from the user: any website doing what is shown in the comic is thus not actually complying with the GDPR.

On the other hand, it is not clear what exactly clicking the big "Allow all" button actually entails. So in Randall's mind clicking it is akin to "agreeing to whatever".

"Manage your preferences" is commonly used as a neutral title for the opt-in/opt-out dialog.

"Atrius" in the title text may refer to Atrus, the main non-player character in the ''Myst'' series. In the first game these people were imprisoned within books. Pages needed to be collected to complete the books, and it was incredibly hard to find a single page, involving extensive laborious navigation and exploration, and the finding and solving of hidden puzzles. In the Myst mythos, the books open portals to other worlds, a little like web hyperlinks.
"Atreus" was a mythological king of Mycenae.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is sitting in an office chair at a desk in front of his laptop computer. A black zigzag line points to the screen, and above this is shown what is displayed on Cueball's screen. This is shown as a black rectangle, with a white box, with black frame, overlaid over the top of the black section, extending half way above it. The text in this white box is in gray font. Inside the black rectangle are two gray rectangles, with white borders and black text. A small rectangle at the top has only one line of text, and a large rectangle below has 6 lines of text.]
:Manage Your Preferences
:Agree to whatever
:Transport me to an immersive Myst-like game where I click confusingly-labeled toggle switches, only some of which work, perhaps never to find my way back to the page I wanted.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Video games]]
[[Category:Internet]]

2432: Manage Your Preferences

2021-03-04T07:33:06Z

162.158.203.15: typo

{{comic
| number = 2432
| date = March 3, 2021
| title = Manage Your Preferences
| image = manage_your_preferences.png
| titletext = Manage cookies related to essential site functions, such as keeping Atrius and his sons imprisoned within the page.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a CONFUSINGLY-LABELED COOKIE MANAGER. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic is a play on the confusing cookie settings found on some websites.

The European {{w|General Data Protection Regulation}} and similar laws in other countries require websites to obtain consent from users for placing non-essential cookies on their computer, and to allow the user from opting out of them. Cookies are small data files saved in a web browser that can be used, for example, to recognize the user across different websites. Web advertising agencies often uses such methods to display more targeted ads.

Since more targeted ads make more money, website operators have an interest in the user allowing tracking cookies. They will therefore make the button to allow them big, green and easy to click, while making the opt-out as difficult as legally possible. For example, it could be that the user has to opt out of every tracking cookie separately using "confusingly labeled toggle switches". Randall compares this to {{w|Myst}}, a 1990s puzzle video game.

On the other hand, it is not clear what clicking the big green "Allow all" button actually does. So in Randall's mind clicking it is akin to "agreeing to whatever".

"Manage your preferences" is commonly used as a neutral title for the opt-in/opt-out dialog.

"Atrius" in the title text may refer to Atrus, the main non-player character in the ''Myst'' series. In the first game these people were imprisoned within books. Pages needed to be collected to complete the books, and it was incredibly hard to find a single page, involving extensive laborious navigation and exploration, and the finding and solving of hidden puzzles. In the Myst mythos, the books open portals to other worlds, a little like web hyperlinks.
"Atreus" was a mythological king of Mycenae.

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

[Cueball sits at a desk in front of a computer, which displays a screen shown above him]

Text box: Manage Your Preferences

Button: Agree to whatever

Button: Transport me to an immersive Myst-like game where I click confusingly-labeled toggle switches, only some of which work, perhaps never to find my way back to the page I wanted.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Video games]]
[[Category:Internet]]

2432: Manage Your Preferences

2021-03-04T05:58:27Z

162.158.203.15:

{{comic
| number = 2432
| date = March 3, 2021
| title = Manage Your Preferences
| image = manage_your_preferences.png
| titletext = Manage cookies related to essential site functions, such as keeping Atrius and his sons imprisoned within the page.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a CONFUSINGLY-LABELED COOKIE MANAGER. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic is a play on the confusing cookie settings found on some websites.

The European {{w|General Data Protection Regulation}} and similar laws in other countries require websites to obtain consent from users for placing non-essential cookies on their computer, and to allow the user from opting out of them. Cookies are small data files saved in a web browser that can be used, for example, to recognize the user across different websites. Web advertising agencies often uses such methods to display more targeted ads.

Since more targeted ads make more money, website operators have an interest in the user allowing tracking cookies. They will therefore make the button to allow them big, green and easy to click, while making the opt-out as difficult as legally possible. For example, it could be that the user has to opt out of every tracking cookie separately using "confusingly labeled toggle switches". Randall compares this to {{w|Myst}}, a 1990s puzzle video game.

On the other hand, it is not clear what clicking he big green "Allow all" button actually does. So in Randall's mind clicking it is akin to "agreeing to whatever".

"Manage your preferences" is commonly used as a neutral title for the opt-in/opt-out dialog.

"Atrius" in the title text may refer to Atrus, the main non-player character in the ''Myst'' series. In the first game these people were imprisoned within books. Pages needed to be collected to complete the books, and it was incredibly hard to find a single page, involving extensive laborious navigation and exploration, and the finding and solving of hidden puzzles. In the Myst mythos, the books open portals to other worlds, a little like web hyperlinks.
"Atreus" was a mythological king of Mycenae.

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

[Cueball sits at a desk in front of a computer, which displays a screen shown above him]

Text box: Manage Your Preferences

Button: Agree to whatever

Button: Transport me to an immersive Myst-like game where I click confusingly-labeled toggle switches, only some of which work, perhaps never to find my way back to the page I wanted.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Video games]]
[[Category:Internet]]

1890: What to Bring

2021-02-04T20:23:59Z

162.158.203.15:

{{comic
| number = 1890
| date = September 15, 2017
| title = What to Bring
| image = what_to_bring.png
| titletext = I always figured you should never bring a gun to a gun fight because then you'll be part of a gun fight.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic derives its humor from combining two common but unrelated pieces of advice: "never bring a knife to a gun fight", and "never put water on an oil fire". The corollary to these phrases is that a knife is only useful for a knife fight, and water is only useful for a wood fire (or similar solid and porous fuel). [[Randall]] creates a grid applying each of the solutions (knives, guns, lids, and water) to each of the situations (knife fight, gun fight, wood fire, oil fire) to predict the likely outcomes.

The squares in the table are highlighted in green to answer "Yes" to the question, where the specified object is appropriate or advantageous for the situation, or red to answer "No", usually because the object would not be helpful in resolving the situation. The grid concludes that, not only are both pieces of advice correct (bringing knives to gun fights, and using water on oil fires would both end in likely disaster), but only the prescribed solutions are appropriate for each situation (e.g. any solution other than a lid would be ineffective for an oil fire, and potentially very dangerous). The sole exception to this trend is bringing a gun to a knife fight, which would give you a major tactical advantage over your opponent.

The ultimate point of this comic may be in the title text. There is a phrase in American English, "to bring a knife to a gun fight," which means "to be so naive as to be unprepared." While Randall may be commenting specifically on managing {{w|conflict escalation}} by being adequately prepared for the situation, it is also possible that he is subtly expressing his opinion about the virtues of restraint.

{| class="wikitable"
! Should you bring ... to ...
! scope="col"| a knife fight
! scope="col"| a gun fight
! scope="col"| a wood fire
! scope="col"| an oil fire
|-
! scope="row"| a knife
| Yes. If you bring a knife to a knife fight, you will be evenly matched with your opponent.
| No. If you bring a knife to a gun fight, you will be at a perilous disadvantage. (Although, at close range, a knife is considered more lethal than a firearm in certain situations, e.g. a holstered pistol)
| No. Attempting to stab a wood fire with a knife will only lead to you being burned.
| No. Attempting to stab an oil fire will only cause you to get burned and leave metallic scrapes in the pan.
|-
! scope="row"| a gun
| Yes. Bringing a gun to a knife fight will leave your opponent at a perilous disadvantage. (You may be accused of "not playing fair", but only if you leave survivors.)
| Yes*. Bringing a gun to a gun fight will leave you {{w|Mexican standoff|evenly matched with your opponent}}.
| colspan="2"| No. Shooting at a wood or an oil fire will not extinguish either one. Depending on the exact caliber of the bullet, you may even end up scattering the wood or oil fueling the flames, leaving you with a worse situation than before. Also, most bullets contain lead, so the heat of the fire may cause the bullet to give off toxic fumes.
|-
! scope="row"| water
| colspan="2"| No. Splashing either a knife-wielder or a gunman with water may blind your opponent briefly, but if you're still in a fight (i.e. you cannot use the opportunity to flee), it won't win you the fight. (However, water can disable some older guns that use black powder, since the powder will not ignite when wet.)
| Yes. Wood fires are best extinguished with a well-aimed splash of water.
| No! Pouring water on an oil fire is notorious for creating huge fireballs and scattering the oil, making the situation even worse ({{w|boilover}}).
|-
! scope="row"| a lid
| colspan="2"| No. Attempting to put a lid on the head or weapon of a knife-wielder or gunman will probably not help matters, as it may only serve to agitate them. While it might momentarily confuse your opponent, it probably won't give you much of a running start. (However, a metal lid with the right sort of handle could serve as a makeshift {{w|buckler|shield}}.)
| No. Trying to put out a wood fire with a lid would usually require a lid far too large for you to carry.
| Yes. An {{w|Class B fire|oil fire}} is best extinguished by cutting it off from oxygen; stove top oil fires generally occur in cooking pans, which often come with lids suited to making an airtight seal. A fire-resistant blanket or towel also works well for this purpose.
|}

* While the chart states that you should bring a gun to a gun fight, the title text makes the observation that bringing a gun to a gunfight might just raise your status from 'inconsequential bystander' to 'combatant'. So perhaps you shouldn't bring a gun to a gun fight if not bringing one is a way to avoid being considered part of the fight. It probably all depends on why there is a gun fight to begin with, and why you are choosing to go to it, with or without a gun (or knife or water or lid). Or Randall may simply (and wisely) mean that you shouldn't go to a gunfight at all, which is a genuinely valid point, and not a joke. If you're not there, you can't get shot.

==Transcript==
:[Text in the top-left corner of the comic:]

:"Should you bring _____ to ______?"

:[The comic is laid out like a grid, with implements down the left-hand side (A knife / A gun / Water / A lid) and the type of "fight" across the top (A knife fight / A gun fight / A wood fire / An oil fire). The grid illustrates the "match-ups", with a green square denoting a "correct" match-up and a red square denoting a Very Bad Idea.]

:[From the top left corner, going from left to right, top to bottom, with each first item being on its own line in the grid, the squares are as follows:]

:[Green square, two combatants face off against each other with knives, equally matched.]

:*'''A knife''' to '''A knife fight'''

:[Red square, a person with a knife faces off against someone with a gun, and is clearly outmatched.]

:*'''A knife''' to '''A gun fight'''

:[Red square, a person holds a knife in a wood fire while saying "OW OW OW".]
:*'''A knife''' to '''A wood fire'''
*'''A knife''' to '''An oil fire''': Red square, the person with the knife scrapes at the oil inside the pan that's on fire while saying "OW OW OW". The scraping accompanied by the text "SCRAPE SCRAPE".
*'''A gun''' to '''A knife fight''': Green square, the person with the gun points it at the opponent with the knife, who exclaims, "Dude!"
*'''A gun''' to '''A gun fight''': Green square, two combatants point guns at one another, equally matched.
*'''A gun''' to '''A wood fire''': Red square, the person with the gun shoots pointlessly three times at the wood fire, which carries on blazing. The shooting is accompanied by the text "BLAM BLAM BLAM".
*'''A gun''' to '''An oil fire''': Red square, the person with the gun shoots at the flaming pan, which does nothing to put it out. The shooting is accompanied by the text "BLAM".
*'''Water''' to '''A knife fight''': Red square, the person with the water throws it uselessly in the face of the person holding the knife.
*'''Water''' to '''A gun fight''': Red square, the person with the water throws it uselessly in the face of the person holding the gun.
*'''Water''' to '''A wood fire''': Green square, the person throws the water on the fire and successfully extinguishes it, which makes a "SPLOOSH" sound.
*'''Water''' to '''An oil fire''': Red square, the person is shown reeling back from the oil fire, the water glass going flying, as the oil fire explodes with a "FOOM".
*'''A lid''' to '''A knife fight''': Red square, the person with the lid comically places it on the head of the person with the knife, who stands there in confusion.
*'''A lid''' to '''A gun fight''': Red square, the person with the lid ineffectually places it on top of the gun the other person is pointing at them.
*'''A lid''' to '''A wood fire''': Red square, the person with the lid holds it near the wood fire, which does nothing to put out the fire.
*'''A lid''' to '''An oil fire''': Green square, the person places the lid on top of the oil fire, which suffocates and extinguishes it.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]

10: Pi Equals

2020-12-29T15:57:44Z

162.158.203.15:

{{comic
| number = 10
| date = September 30, 2005
| title = Pi Equals
| image = pi.jpg
| titletext = My most famous drawing, and one of the first I did for the site
}}

==Explanation==
There are two possible references here. One is from the book ''{{w|Contact (novel)|Contact}}'' by Carl Sagan, where the existence of God was shown in the last chapter to be encoded in the digits of {{w|pi}}. The other is an old joke of a {{w|Fortune cookie|fortune cookie}} with a fortune that reads, "Help! I'm trapped in a fortune cookie factory!" Similar jokes are often repeated for any mass-manufactured personalized item, often implying that the worker who made the item is working in a sweatshop somewhere or is literally trapped inside a factory and calling for help via the items they produce. This joke is also referenced in [[327: Exploits of a Mom]]'s title text, where [[Mrs. Roberts]] [[Elaine Roberts|daughter]]'s name is "Help I'm trapped in a driver's license factory."

The most literal interpretation of the joke would be that some being who helped to create the universe in a "universe factory" snuck a message into the digits of pi (a number that has an endlessly long decimal that never repeats) asking for help to get out. Mathematical concepts being manufactured in a factory is the main mental image here. One can't help but wonder if the [http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/TimeBandits.jpg primordial beings who labored on the universe] to produce things like the gravitational constant and pi have a labor union. Judging by the fact that they're calling for help, it seems they don't.

Since pi never ends and does not follow any sort of known pattern, if each number pair were assigned a letter from the alphabet, or if it was converted to base-26 (or preferably ASCII or some other form of text encoding, if you desire capitalization and punctuation), the entire works of Shakespeare, as well as any other expressible piece of information, including the message in this comic, could presumably be found (it is not really ''known'' that pi really has {{w|normal number|this property}}, but the absence of this property would in itself be an extraordinary coincidence); although the probability of finding any given string of numbers within a calculable range of digits of pi [http://www.angio.net/pi/whynotpi.html diminishes rapidly as the string length increases].

In the novel {{w|Contact (novel)|Contact}} by {{w|Carl Sagan}}, he includes a "[http://goddoesnt.blogspot.dk/2013/10/pi-and-signature-of-god-from-carl.html Signature of God]". In brief, the signature consists of a very long string of 1s and 0s far out (after some 10^20 seemingly random numbers) in the base-11 expansion of pi that when arranged in a square of a specific size yields a clear drawing of a circle with a diameter of several hundred digits. The existence of this pattern was hinted to the protagonist by a member of an advanced alien civilization as being encoded in physics by an even more advanced civilization with the ability to create universes.

Interestingly enough, this could also work for pictures: if you assign a set of nine numbers to equal an RGB hexadecimal color value, eventually you will find the Mona Lisa.

In the title text, [[Randall]] notes that this became one of his most famous comics (at the time it was re-released on the new [[xkcd]] site on the 1st of January 2006.) He also notes that it was one of his first drawings for the site (it was the 11th posted originally). See [[#Trivia|trivia]] below.

==Transcript==
:[A huge π to the left, then a large equal-to sign, and then five rows of text.]
:'''π ='''
:::3.14159265
:::3589793help
:::imtrappedin
:::auniversefac
:::tory7108914...

==Trivia==
*This was the 11th comic originally posted to [[LiveJournal]].
**The previous is [[9: Serenity is coming out tomorrow]].
**The next is [[14: Copyright]].
*Comic #36 was originally posted as a duplicate of comic 10: Pi Equals. This was corrected some time between April 23, 2006 and July 5, 2006 when the current version showed up in the web archive (see the links).
*This comic kept its original title: "Pi Equals"
*There were no original [[Randall]] quotes for this comic.
*This was one of the [[:Category:First day on LiveJournal|thirteen first comics]] posted to LiveJournal within 12 minutes on Friday September 30, 2005.
*This comic was posted on [[xkcd]] when the web site opened on Sunday the 1st of January 2006.
**It was posted along [[:Category:First day on xkcd|with all 41 comics]] posted before that on LiveJournal as well as a few others.
**The latter explaining why the numbers of these 41 LiveJournal comics ranges from 1-44.
*One of the original drawings drawn on [[:Category:Checkered paper|checkered paper]].
*The book version of this comic (in ''[http://store.xkcd.com/products/xkcd-volume-0 xkcd: volume 0]'') has different title text:
**''"I've put rescue instructions in e. You'll need the cheat codes for your universe, which I hid in the square root of two."''
* "7108914" appears in position 13,709,690 of pi, suggesting that the length of the string of "digits" that is 'helpimtrappedinauniversefactory' is correspondent to a good 13,709,675 digits long, meaning each individual letter corresponds to about 456989.166667 digits. Aggravatingly, however, if the string was instead "71089314", it would appear at position 2533.
*If the letters correspond to the phone keypad, then these digits are wrong: 3.14159265358979343574687277334628648377332286797108914
*If the words correspond to their length, then these digits are wrong: 3.14159265358979342721877108914
*And if the words are omitted altogether, then these digits are wrong: 3.1415926535897937108914
{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics posted on livejournal| 11]]
[[Category:First day on LiveJournal| 11]]
[[Category:First day on xkcd]]
[[Category:Checkered paper]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Footer comics]]

2396: Wonder Woman 1984

2020-12-10T18:56:01Z

162.158.203.15: /* Explanation */ Link to relevant 2367: Masks

{{comic
| number = 2396
| date = December 9, 2020
| title = Wonder Woman 1984
| image = wonder_woman_1984.png
| titletext = 'Wait, why would you think a movie set in 1984 would do drive-ins as a retro promotion?' 'You know, 80s stuff. Drive-in movies. Britney Spears doing the hustle. Elvis going on Ed Sullivan and showing off his pog collection.' 'What year were you born, again?'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by Walter Mondale. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
Ponytail, who was eager to see ''{{w|Wonder Woman 1984}}'', the sequel to the acclaimed 2017 ''{{w|Wonder Woman (2017 film)|Wonder Woman}}'' film, decided to block all news media leading up to the film, to avoid {{w|Spoiler (media)|spoilers}}. This is a common practice for people who do not wish to be "spoiled" by reading or hearing any plot points of the film, and want to experience it for the "first time" when watching it. Many early reviewers may inadvertently give away key parts of the film, which may "ruin" the experience for some watchers.

However, there have been many delays for release of the film, in part because of the [[:Category:COVID-19|COVID-19 pandemic]] in the Spring of 2020. The film was originally delayed from November 1, 2019 to June 5, 2020, and then was pushed to August 14, 2020, and October 2, 2020, before it was finally moved to December 25, 2020. The film studio announced a simultaneous release of the film in theaters and also on streaming platform {{w|HBO Max}}.

Absurdly, Ponytail did not turn off her news site blocker and so has not read any news for the past year. Because of this, she does not know who became the 2020 Democratic nominee, or who won the 2020 United States presidential election (both {{w|Joe Biden}}). Even more absurdly, she has not noticed others wearing masks, seen any Biden campaign signs, etc. It also seems that she does not know about the COVID-19 pandemic, as she seems confused as to why her movie is now being shown at a {{w|drive-in theater}}. Drive-in theaters have been seen as a much safer option than regular movie theaters during the pandemic.

Cueball tries to warn her about the ongoing pandemic, but in an effort to avoid spoilers, she refuses to listen to him. Cueball then tells her to wear a mask, but she is still confused. Ponytail says that she will dress up in costume as Wonder Woman, who is traditionally shown wearing a {{w|tiara}}, but not a mask (unlike Batman or many other comic characters, although [[2367: Masks|efficiency of their masks]] still varies wildly in regards to COVID-19 protection).

The title text shows Ponytail’s even more remarkable historical imagination. According to Wikipedia, drive-in theaters were in fact in decline in the 80s due to the advent of cable TV, VCRs, and home video. {{w|Britney Spears}} was popular in the late 1990s and early 2000s. {{w|Hustle(dance)|The Hustle}} was a disco dance popular in the mid 1970s. {{w|Pogs}} under that name peaked in the mid-1990s. {{w|Elvis}}'s appearance on the ''{{w|Ed Sullivan Show}}''- one of the pivotal moments of American pop culture- occurred on September 9, 1956. Cueball points out this mess of inconsistencies by asking Ponytail when she was born, referring to the idea that she would subconsciously combine all these time periods because she didn't live through them, and only knows about them through pop culture.

This comic is similar to [[2280: 2010 and 2020]], which features someone who also is unaware of the COVID-19 pandemic.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Ponytail sitting at a desk, chatting with Cueball (off-screen) on a laptop]
:Ponytail: Just two weeks until I see ''Wonder Woman 1984'', learn who the Democratic nominee was, and find out how the election went.
:Cueball: Huh?

:[Close-up on Ponytail]
:Ponytail: To avoid spoilers, I blocked all news sites ahead of the November 2019 release.
:Ponytail: But then they bumped the date on my ticket to June 2020, and now December 25th.
:Ponytail: It also moved to a drive-in theater? Some retro promotion, maybe.

:[Cueball on his laptop, chatting with Ponytail (off-screen) on a laptop]
:Cueball: Wait, you haven't seen '''''any''''' news?
:Ponytail: Nope!
:Cueball: So you don't know about -
:Ponytail: '''''No spoilers!'''''

:[Back to Ponytail sitting at a desk, chatting with Cueball (off-screen) on a laptop]
:Cueball: Okay. Just...
:Cueball: Bring a mask, in case you need to get out of the car.
:Ponytail: Oh, I'll have a full '''''costume!''''' But it's a tiara, not a mask.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:COVID-19]]
[[Category:Fiction]]